Gracie's Torchwood Drabbles and Ficbits
by Grace Musica
Summary: A collection of Torchwood themed drabbles and ficbits. WARNING: Some of these drabbles may contain offenseive couplings, subject matter, language, et cetera.
1. Ink

Title: Ink  
Date Written: 11/21/07  
dwtwprompts prompt: Slutty  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 191  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: None  
Author's Notes: Yay, first post!  
-----  
When Ianto first met Jack, the first thing he noticed about the captain was that the American had 'slut' written all over his forehead.

Literally.

Jack had laughed it off when Ianto had questioned it, explaining that he'd had a brief fling with a representative from another species, and she had been rather upset when Jack hadn't taken her offer to go back to the home planet. She'd used ink that worked roughly the same way psychic paper did, except it only showed to people he worked with.

The ink had eventually faded from his skin, but his reputation hadn't. Quite a few of the more intelligent alien races, upon hearing the name "Jack Harkness" would ask when his schedule was open for an afternoon or so.

Ianto grinned softly as he sat up in the gift shop, flipping pages in some magazine the post delivered every now and again. The emissary had been mistaken to write 'slut'. Jack was actually sort of fond of using that word during a tumble.

A real insult would have been "bad in bed." DEFINITELY not true, but he'd have just died from the implication.  
-----


	2. Guilt

Title: Guilt  
Date Written: 11/25/07  
dwtwprompts prompt: Writer's Choice #1 -- Guilt  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 182  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen, Owen, Tosh, Rhys  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Character death  
Author's Notes: Man, someone opened up all my angst bunnies.  
-----  
It wasn't fair.

They were all gone. Tosh. Owen. Gwen. Killed in the line of duty, by alien tech they didn't know how to fight back against.

There was grief, of course (his and others -- Rhys has punched him so hard he'd probably be dead if he didn't have Rose's 'gift'). And pain, and sorrow: the regrets and the "Why God"s and the "If Only"s and the "Why Didn't I Pay More Attention At The Academy"s... But there had also been revenge, the pure black pleasure that came from avenging your fallen friends and putting their souls to peace.

But Ianto...

It was a simple misstep at the Hub. He'd tumbled down the stair and cracked his head on the flagstone. His body had survived the fall.

His mind hadn't.

There was no Kiss of Life this time, no turning of the clock and everyone's alive and healthy and well, no magical alien tech that could cure this. All he could do was sit next to his lover's suddenly-so-fragile human shell, clutching at his hand.

And feel so guilty that he couldn't save him this time around.  
-----


	3. Ville d'Amour

Title: Ville d'Amour  
Date Written: 12/5/07  
dwtwprompts prompt: Paris  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 202  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: None  
Author's Notes: LOL France.  
-----  
"Why me?" 

Jack grinned and looked over his shoulder at Ianto. "What does that mean?"

"It means _why me_?"

Jack laughed. "As the head of Torchwood, it is part of my duties to meet with the equivalents of our group in other countries to create a unified front for Earth should we need representation."

It was more like _when_, but neither one of them really wanted to think about that right now.

"And once again: Why me?"

"Well, I am a man of many talents... Languages happen to not be in my repertoire."

"But... France?"

"C'mon, Ianto, we're in Paris! The city of lights! How can you hate this?"

Ianto gave him a blank look. "Gwen speaks French."

"Gwen is currently at Rhys' family reunion, she asked for the day off months ago."

"Owen speaks French, too."

"I am _not _bringing _Owen _to The City of Love."

"It's... It's just... _France_."

Jack chuckled. "Yes. A culture that gave us fine dining, burlesque, and the _menage a trois_. Aces in my book."

"Oh, it would come back to sex for you."

Jack grinned at him. "Fine. No more French kissing for you, Mr. Jones."

Ianto glanced at him before giving a little bit of a smirk. "_Viva la France_," he deadpanned.

Jack laughed so hard he almost ran into a lamppost.  
-----


	4. Haunted

Title: Haunted  
Date Written: 12/7/07  
dwtwprompts prompt: Ex-Lover  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 352  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Lisa (mentioned), Rose/Doctor/Jack (implied)  
Spoilers: For Season 1, most notably Cyberwoman, and new Season 1 of Doctor Who  
Warnings: Boys kissing Author's Notes: This pairing has the opportunity for so much angst... Inspired by the below quote.  
-----  
"As Freud said, _our beds are crowded_. Whenever I lie in bed with Lucas, you're there, as are the ghosts of his past loves"  
--Dorthy; _The Golden Girls_

There are nights, when they share a bed, that Jack wakes Ianto up talking in his sleep. More of a mumble, really, but loud enough.

There are the bad dreams, memories of past battles that loom up in the world of dreams to torment him further (_"Last man standing! For God's sake..."_). When he gets those, Ianto gently shakes him awake and holds him as Jack shakes and sweats and clings to him, begging, _pleading _for Ianto to make him feel alive again.

There are the funny ones, where Jack relives past sexual encounters. At first, Ianto had been jealous of these phantom men and women who had a piece of His Captain. Then he actually listened to what the other man was mumbling (_"But Executioner, I can't kiss you right with the hood on..."_). Those nights he let Jack sleep, sometimes stroking his hair, or a bare arm while the Captain mumbled. He learned just a little bit more about the man and when Jack woke in the morning Ianto got a passionate kiss and usually ended up being a bit late for work.

Then there were Ianto's bad nights, when Jack would wake him up murmuring two names. _Rose. Doctor._ Said with such longing, such raw _need _that it made Ianto want to break something; the jealousy was completely uncalled for, completely unwanted, but _there, _lingering, festering. Those nights he usually made a pot of tea and sat up in the den until Jack slipped into another sleep cycle and didn't talk anymore.

Ianto had his own nights, though, when he'd wake up gasping for air, his face wet and Lisa's name on his lips. When Jack was there he was always turned to his side, asleep-but-not-really, letting Ianto have his moment of private grief before he rolled over and kissed his tears away.

They were both haunted; but they had each other to hide in for a while._  
-----_


	5. Farewell

Title: Farewell  
Date Written: 12/9/07  
dwtwprompts prompt: Tragedy  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 449  
Characters/Pairings: Face of Boe, Ninth Doctor, Rose (mentioned), Jack/Ianto (mentioned), Doctor/all his companions (mentioned)  
Spoilers: For The End of the Word, and for Last of the Time Lords  
Warnings: None  
Author's Notes: I know, I know, Davies said this isn't really Jack's history. But it's still fun to play.  
-----  
The Doctor smiled as he put his hands on the glass case holding the Face of Boe. "Hello, old friend." 

_Doctor_, the disembodied head replied, lips quirking into a smile. _It's good to see you again._

"How have you been?"

_Well enough._ The Face gave him an appraising look. _You are sad again, my friend. Remembering old times?_

The Doctor smiled and nodded, looking down at the Earth. "So many fantastic memories. All to go up in flames any moment now."

_Gone but not forgotten, I hope. That would be a true tragedy_.

The two of them watched the doomed Earth for a few moments in silence. "Face of Boe, you poured money into this for years and years. Why is a little rock like this special to you?"

_For the same reason it is special to you, Doctor. I have a history there._

The Doctor looked at the Face, a little stunned. Boe chuckled. _I did not always look like this, my friend. There is someone buried in the Earth that I still care for, after all the years we have been apart._

"I didn't know. I'm sorry."

_It is all right. We with longer spans of life have to come to terms with the fact that those we love will leave us sooner than we'd like. He has been gone for many, many years now._

"But you didn't want to let him go."

_All things must die, Doctor. Even you; even me. He will be waiting for me when I pass... At least that is what I would like to think._

The Doctor patted the jar. "I'm sure he is."

_You should find your Companion, my friend. It is almost time to see the explosion, and I think that young Rose would not want to miss this._

He gave the Face a confused look. "How did you--? Oh, you always seem to know things you shouldn't."

_As do you, Doctor._

The Doctor laughed and patted the glass twice before hurrying off, looking for the blonde human he was traveling with.

The Face of Boe shook slightly from side to side, a serene smile on his face.

Later, when all the excitement was over and the Doctor and Rose had disappeared once again, he looked down at the Earth. The planet was a ball of molten rock, the now-formless continents and seas a blob red and orange, almost a negative of what they had been before. He watched, wishing he had his hands again so he could press them against the window pane. "Good-bye, Yan," he said softly to himself before closing his eyes and turning from the sight.  
-----


	6. Teacher's Back

Title: Teacher's Back  
Date Written: 2/10/08  
dwtwprompts prompt: Reunion  
Rating: T Word Count: 409  
Characters/Pairings: Team Torchwood, Jack/Ianto  
Spoilers: Torchwood S1, Episode 1 of 02  
Warnings: None  
Author's Notes: Torchwood's back, baby! (okay, so it's been back, but I just got a chance to see 'em)  
-----  
There were days that Ianto really hated his job. 

_"So, this is Team Torchwood. The teacher's pets. But Teacher's gone, isn't he? Leaving the kiddie-kids all alone. And look at you, trying so hard to be all grown up: The doctor, with his hands full of blood; the carer, with her oh-so-beating heart; the technician, with her cold devices; which leaves me with the office boy, promoted beyond his measure. All of you, lost without your master. All of you, pretending to be so brave. All of you, so scared!"_

The alien laughed and sniffed the blonde hair of his hostage before focusing his attention onto Ianto. Instinctively, maybe even psychically knowing that he'd taken out Gwen and Tosh with his words, that he'd gotten into their heads and completely shut down their reflexes. And with Owen taking care of the man bleeding on the floor, Ianto was the last obstacle.

_"So, what about it, minion? Could you do it?"_

Yes. He could. If this was a sim, back in the Hub, with Jack watching him and giving him pointers. With Owen teasing him every time he missed the target, and Tosh scolding after the doctor and Gwen patting his shoulder and telling him good job, Yan, did better than last time.

_"How good are you? How sharp is your aim?"_

Pretty sharp. Did he get a warm-up first?

_"What if you kill her? What if I kill her first?"_

Quite likely. Jack could take the shot.

_"Can you shoot before I do? Can you? Dare you! Would you? Won't you?"_

He was just about to pull the trigger, his finger was squeezing. The little metal lever felt so heavy under his finger, his hand shaking, throwing his aim to pot. Here goes nothing.

BANG.

He blinked, watching the fish's brain explode over the window and dressings, watching the girl run, screaming and crying to her mother. He looked at his gun. Had it gone off accidentally? He didn't remember pulling the trigger. That meant that someone behind him...

He whipped around and there he was. Captain Jack Harkness, the big damn hero, his gun still drawn, looking down at them with that sexy little smirk. He wanted to punch him and kiss him senseless and strangle him and fuck him through the wall.

"Hey kids. D'ya miss me?"

And then he laughed. The tosser _laughed_.

Damn. It was so much easier to hate Jack when he wasn't there.  
-----


	7. The Forgotten Meeting

Title: The Forgotten Meeting  
Date Written: 2/17/08  
dwtwprompts prompt: Unconditional  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 1,769  
Characters/Pairings: Team Torchwood, Jack/Ianto, a little Jack/Gwen (don't run)  
Spoilers: Doctor Who "Army of Ghosts", Torchwood Season One (particularly "Cyberwoman", "Countrycide" and "Greeks Bearing Gifts"), Torchwood Season Two "Adam"  
Warnings: Yaoi/BL/blah blah blah.  
Author's Notes: There are a few bits this story was inspired by... First was one of lj user's smallwaldo's Jack/Ianto stories When the Bough Breaks. Another was the part in Season Two, when Rose tries to use the psychic paper and Rajesh says "You see, everyone at Torchwood has at least a basic level of psychic training." And then the whole bit near the end of "Adam", well, it got me thinking. Set during "Adam".  
-----  
According to the Time Agency, humanity has always had some sort of psychic link to one another. Or at least that's what the justification as to why they taught Psych 101 at the Academy when someone had been cheeky enough to ask why they even had to bother with this thing in the first place in Jack's class. At the dawn of mankind it had been quite powerful -- the ancient archaeologists had called it 'pack mentality'. As the human race grew up and became more 'civilized', this mentality was shut away, used only by the psychics who spoke with the gods or by the few practitioners who turned playing cards over and gazed into dusty crystal balls, letting their subconscious guide them to the 'correct' answer. 

The practice slowly came back into widespread usage starting around the 20th century. Ghost channelers and psychic readings were popular forms of entertainment, and were accepted, if a little weird to the populous at large. Psychic techniques were therefore fostered, taught and, in some instances, tested and used by the dawn of the 21st century.

Torchwood had never been explicitly listed in class, but it was easy to see why Adam had been drawn to them: Owen, Toshiko and Ianto had been extensively trained when they'd gone through their Torchwood training, and Gwen was halfway through her own courses. None of them were at Jack's levels, but they were closer than most of the residents of Cardiff. It would be easy as clicking your fingers to get inside their minds. They were all trained against it, yes, but they were also more susceptible to it than, say, Rhys would have been. Even Jack, who had his guard up at all times, a guard strong enough that Tosh's psychic pendant couldn't even dent, had easily fallen under his spell.

He'd been so blind. And now he had to fix it.

It wasn't as if Jack went rooting about in peoples' heads on a regular basis -- that was extremely rude, violated all sorts of codes that hadn't even been invented yet, and it tended to freak people out a bit when you'd answer a question they hadn't even asked yet. Besides, none of them were able to carry on a full mental conversation; close, but not quite there yet. Not under their own influence, anyway.

Adam had, essentially, left all their psychic channels open and bleeding. It was how he had fed himself in; he opened up the section in the human brain that processes memories and blasted it open with waves of mental energy. They were all raw, and in desperate need of repair. A Retcon pill would do that easily, it was designed to seal away things and keep it locked away. It was always there, but it was hidden. It would, hopefully, seal the damage done.

And if it hadn't, he'd gone back and edited in his log that they needed to all go in for a round of physic training. Just to keep up good skills and all that.

The team was gathered in the conference room, the hypnotizing graphic going and the lights dim. Once again, he found himself thankful for the classes he thought he'd never need when he took them at the Time Agency. In their own way, they had actually known what the hell they were doing after all.

"Tell me where you are."

The first person he heard in his head was Gwen, which honestly hadn't surprised him. She was more on the empathy than they psychic scale, but the principal was the same. Her IQ and her empathy had given her the edge to beat the Retcon, even if she didn't quite remember all the details. If she hadn't had one or the other, she probably would still be on the beat with her partner, Andrew.

Owen was the second, which had been a little surprising. He had the lowest scores total, but they were still high for the average 21st century human. Jack felt ashamed when he heard Owen's thoughts. Owen's mother had probably stunted his psychic growth by not giving him a solid foundation to start with. Jack's parents had been loving and kind, despite it all. Even when he lost Grey, his mother had never blamed him. Owen's mother had never even liked him. No wonder he was normally an obstinate jackass.

Toshiko was third. Her scores were high -- well, all of them were high, psychic included. The necklace had only stripped her own mental stronghold down and enabled her to pierce through everyone else's, not boosted hers. If she would only stop concentrating so much on the rational, she'd probably be a mental force to be reckoned with. Then again, she wouldn't be Tosh.

Ianto was the last, but it was by far the strongest. Ianto's scores were through the proverbial roof; if anyone could have had a psychic conversation with Jack, it would have been him. It was not a surprise to find that the memory Ianto had latched onto was Lisa; she had been his sole reason for living since at least Canary Warf, probably even before. When she'd died, Jack had been afraid that Ianto would follow her, that they'd come into the Hub one day and find that he'd killed himself up at the Information Booth.

Ianto had become more outwardly emotional after Lisa's death and after that awful mess in the country, to the rest of the team but particularly to Jack. The two of them had a connection that was definitely more than physical, and Jack could defiantly see that now. Sleeping together had formed a bond between them; Ianto had become Jack's sole confidante, and he had, in turn, become Ianto's. Their attraction was physical, emotional and, yes, mental.

It scared the fuck out of him.

He walked around the room, handing each one of them a Retcon pill, trying to help them come to peace with their memories, the good and the bad.

Gwen's outright love confession had rattled him, and for the first time in a long time he hadn't known what to say. He liked the girl, certainly, and he wouldn't really mind sleeping with her. But that's all there was; lust. He'd have probably left her bed before dawn.

Toshiko, poor Tosh, so worried she wasn't special. How could she even think that? She meant the world to Jack, they all did. They were his family.

Owen was still the scared little boy, wanting someone to love him, to save him, protect him from all the evil, mean, nasty things life kept throwing at all of them. In the end, he and Tosh were probably perfect for each other in that respect.

_Coming here..._ "...gave me meaning again." Ianto came out of his hypnotic trance without Jack touching him, the only one to do so. He looked at Jack, really, honestly looked at him, like he was looking into Jack's very soul.

"You..."

Jack could hear the unfinished sentence in his head, Ianto's sweet accent framing the unabashed words. _I love you._

Jack reached out to touch Ianto's dark hair, and leaned in to kiss his forehead, trying hard not to just start crying. Damn it, he hadn't cried in years, he'd cried himself out over losing those he'd loved -- Grey, his parents, the Doctor, Rose, they'd all had tears shed over. Ianto was here, was alive and breathing and his no matter what, he knew that now...

...but he wouldn't in an hour. In an hour they'd all go back to how things were. That, that was a loss worth crying over.

But he couldn't. Not in front of his team, not in front of Ianto. He had to be the strong one, for all of them.

Instead, he did something he also hadn't done in years. He completely let his shields down, let his mind brush gently against Ianto's. _And you gave me a meaning too, Yan._ He set the pill in front of Ianto, and touched his chin softly. _I love you too._

Jack pulled away, trying to ignore the shocked look on Ianto's face, write it off as coming out of the hypnotic state as he calmly explained about the Retcon pill.  
Ianto didn't even have to think twice, reaching out for his pill first and taking it. The unshakable, infallible loyalty took Jack's breath away while sending shivers down his spine. If he told Ianto to die, Ianto would, no questions asked. That, that was truly frightening.

Gwen and Owen followed Ianto's suit, but Tosh held on and fought. She really was giving up so much; it wasn't real, but it was real to her, and it broke his heart to make her take the amnesia pill, to make her give up what she so desperately wanted. He caught Gwen before she could fall and break her nose on the conference table, walking out of the room.

He stopped when the doors slid shut behind him, turning and entering the room again to look at his team. All of them so brave, doing what he'd asked of them while knowing that they were giving up something of themselves to do it. Their love, their loyalty, all of it given so unconditionally. It scared him to think what would happen if it didn't work.

He walked around the table once more as he looked down at their sleeping forms, sliding his fingers over Gwen's black hair, wiping away Tosh's tears, rubbing Owen's back soothingly and touching Ianto's face, tilting his chin up off his chest. He peered down at his lover's sleeping face, looking every bit as peaceful as when he watched him sleep in the few hours they left off for rest after spending the night together. He leaned down and softly kissed his mouth, and swore he felt Ianto return the movement in his sleep. He carefully lowered Ianto's head back to his chest, touching his hair softly before leaving the room for the second time.

He sniffled a little as he walked down to the vault where Adam was being held, the tears he'd held back in the conference room leaking out a little. He paused just outside the door, burying his face in his hands for a few moments as he composed himself. He'd never remember any of this, not feeling Ianto's overwhelming love, not the unwavering, unquestioned loyalty of his team, and it was All. Adam's. Fault.

He took a deep breath, wiping his face with his hands and preparing to do what he had to. The sweet memories, or his team. It wasn't even a question of which he had to choose.

His team weren't the only ones with infallible, unquestionable, unconditional loyalty.  
-----


	8. Valentine's Day

Title: Valentine's Day  
dwtwprompts prompt: Flowers  
Date Written: 2/18/08  
Rating: PG-13/T  
Word Count: 1084  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Team Torchwood  
Spoilers: Season 1 and Episode 1 of Season 2 (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang), and references to "Adam" and "The Sound of Drums" in the A/N.  
Warnings: Yaoi/BL/Whatever you want to call it.  
Author's Notes: Okay, I know it's late, but so what? I've still got a Christmas fic on my HD just waiting to be written! Besides, the Saiyuki Valentine's day was way early. 

Also, since the timelines from one season to the next are never really 'defined' (in either Torchwood or in Doctor Who), I have my own sketchy one: In "Adam", Adam says, "You recruited me three years ago," to Jack. Jack says he took over Torchwood over AFTER Canary Wharf in "The Sound of Drums". Therefore, in the timeline in my head, Cardiff was running for two years before Gwen showed up, this being set in their third (near the fourth) year of business, so Gwen's been there a whole year at least. If anyone can point out specific spots in the timeline, I'd be so glad to hear it!  
-----  
Ianto Jones fumbled all over himself getting ready for work. He'd changed twice: one just his shirt and tie from dropping his bagel as he tried (key term) to read the paper, the other time after completely after spilling the last of his coffee down the front of his suit.

He sighed as he straightened his third tie of the day, looking in the mirror. He hadn't been this nervous or looked so damn scared in the mirror, since... well, since his first date with Lisa. Two years before Canary Warf, almost to the day.

He hadn't even been all that nervous when he and Jack had gone on their date. He thought Jack had just been humoring him, but true to his word the Captain took him out later in the week after work, to a little restaurant down at the docks, then to a film afterwards. No office buildings, thank God, even if they had gone back to the Hub and had sex in Jack's office. There had been that flutter of nervousness in his stomach a few times during the night, but they had been fleeting instances. Maybe the fact that they screwed on a regular basis had made their 'first date' easier -- no expectations, no fear of disappointment or awkwardness. He could be just Ianto.

Today, however, was Valentine's Day, and quite frankly, the whole thing was confusing.

Were he and Jack stepping out, or had it been a one-time thing?

Do you get something for a fuck buddy, or just ignore the whole thing altogether?

If he did get Jack something, would Jack think it means that he... he loved him, and freak out?

Oh, fuck it. He'd just follow Jack's lead. Status quo.  
-----  
Gwen had brought a huge box of chocolates for everyone to share, lamenting over gaining weight from the sweets even as she reached for another piece herself. Toshiko had brought her usual standard too, a homemade Japanese sweet she called 'moochi'. It went well with tea, so Ianto made a pot of green tea for everyone.

He shook his head as Owen came in, taking his jacket off, already in a bad mood over something or another. Tosh looked at him, her pretty face full of hope until he'd said, "Oh, is it Valentine's again? Completely forgot. Stupid hol." Ianto sighed softly, as he put an extra helping of the moochi on her plate. Poor thing, so completely hopeless. He'd make sure to give her an extra big present for White Day this year.

He passed out the drinks, heading up into Jack's office, suddenly all nervousness again. Jack hadn't looked up at him when he entered, so he quietly set the coffee -- Jack always needed coffee straight off or he was in a bad mood for the rest of the day -- at Jack's elbow. The captain instinctively reached for it, taking a sip. "Wonderful as always, Ianto," he said, looking up from the paperwork he was reading.

"Thank you, sir," Ianto replied, hugging the tea tray to him, trying to hide his slightly shaking hands. God, why was he like a schoolboy with a crush around Jack Harkness?!

"Have you been upstairs yet?" he asked, going back to his work.

Ianto let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when Jack looked at him. "No sir, I was about to go open up."

Jack nodded absently, already immersed in his work again. Ianto nodded once, accepting that he'd been dismissed, and left Jack's office, heading for the cogwork door that led up to the Information Booth. Jack hadn't said anything about Valentine's Day, he probably had forgotten like Owen had. All for the better, Ianto supposed. He'd really had no idea what to get another man. Now he understood why Lisa had complained as she had over buying him birthday and anniversary presents.

He took the stairs instead of the elevator, rubbing the back of his neck. Yeah, the whole thing was completely mad. Just a plot cooked up by the candy and the floral industries. And the Catholic Church. Stupid Saint, dying for his convictions.

He wrinkled his nose a little as he headed down the hallway towards the door. Something smelled odd, very floral. He didn't remember any of the girls ODing on the cologne today...

He unlocked the door, stopping dead when the hidden door swung open. He blinked a bit, looking around the Information Booth; every inch of counter space was covered with vases full of pink, white, red and yellow flowers. Most of them, he realized were made with standard 'stock' flowers -- chrysanthemums and carnations, with sprigs of baby's breath for garnishing -- but there were also a few vases full of tulips and even a few cliche red roses thrown in for good measure. The entire place looked and smelled like a florist shoppe.

It was absolutely beautiful. And it spoke completely of Jack Harkness. Only he could get away with something so damn... cheesy and not make it seem completely foolish.

The largest bouquet was on the desk, with a card sticking out of it, written in Jack's neat hand. He crossed the floor and plucked the card off of its plastic holder. It was just his name, _Ianto_, but there was a little arrow in the lower corner. He flipped the card over and furrowed his eyebrows. "Turn around"?

"I want to see the look on your face."

He turned on his heel to find Jack leaning against the doorframe. His arms were folded across his trademark blue button-up, and he was giving him a small smile. "Well? What do you think?"

"I..." Ianto opened and shut his mouth a few times, casting around in his head for what to say. "I... think this must have cost you a small fortune, Sir."

Jack laughed and pushed off from the wall, the door sliding shut behind him. "Nah. Government paid for it."

"How romantic."

The captain chuckled again, looping his arms loosely around Ianto's waist. "Mmm, so is tonight a sure thing?"

"When isn't it?" Ianto shot back, smiling as well.

Jack grinned and leaned in to press his mouth softly against Ianto's. "So... did you get me anything?"

"How about when the others go for lunch, I'll make sure to request something they can only find on the other side of Cardiff?"

The captain laughed. "Mmm, I love the way you think, Mr. Jones."

"I do my best, sir"  
-----  
White Day is a Japanese Holiday that falls on March 14th. Girls give boys presents on Valentine's Day, and the boys return the favor on White Day. Ianto could know about White Day because he spoke Japanese in "Cyberwoman" (and, quite frankly, he knows everything).


	9. Uncovering Secrets

Title: Uncovering Secrets  
dwtwprompts prompt: Dance  
Date Written: 2/22/08  
Rating: PG-13/T  
Word Count: 414  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, implied Jack/Rose  
Spoilers: Doctor Who Season One's "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances", and after "They Keep Killing Suzie.  
Warnings: Mentions of BL/Yaoi, oh so slight Gwen bashing (I really can't help myself, sorry)  
Author's Notes: Second version of this story. I wrote it about a week ago, but I lost it. Thankfully, I remember the rough sketch of it.  
-----  
Jack Harkness was a man of many secrets. Where he was from, how old he was, what his pre-Torchwood life had been. Even his real name was a mystery; it hadn't taken long for Toshiko to look for him in the Torchwood databases. 

Ianto had been lucky enough to find out what some of those secrets were in the past weeks. He still wasn't quite all that sure if he'd been allowed those privileges because he was sleeping with Jack or if the Captain had known that the Welshman could keep a secret. Maybe a little of both.

One of the not-so-surprising secrets turned out to be that Jack could dance exceptionally well. Not club dancing, grinding and sweating against another person (although he was _fabulous_ at that, too), but at the sort of swing and slow dancing that was straight out of WWII. It hadn't been a shock to Ianto at all; Jack had that aura of someone stuck in the past, straight out of the 1920s, and he'd sort of known on some deep down level that Jack would like the sensuality of being close to another person, swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the music.

At first, Ianto had been complete rubbish. He wasn't used to dancing (Lisa had no taste for it), and the whole 'who leads when you're two guys' thing had been a bit confusing. Jack, however, was a patient teacher, and they'd gone slow until he'd picked up the basic steps.

Sometimes, when Jack was in a particular mood, he'd cut off the CCTVs (for maintenance, of course), find the local big band radio station and the two of them would spend hours spinning around the Hub, mostly talking quietly to each other, sometimes laughing when one of them screwed up and trod on the other's toes. Most of the time, they ended up collapsing onto the couch, panting hard from all the exercise. Normally, Jack would look over at Ianto, a silly grin plastered all over his face, and Ianto would always just _have_ to kiss him. They usually made it up to Jack's office, but there were quite a few surfaces around the Hub that they'd broken in (like Gwen's desk. Ianto still grinned inwardly whenever Gwen made cow eyes at Jack from her chair. oh, if only she knew).

Jack never liked to dance to Glen Miller's _Moonlight Serenade_, though. That was one secret Ianto had yet to discover the answer to.  
-----


	10. It's Not You Honey The Grief's Talking

Title: It's Not You, Honey, It's The Grief Talking  
dwtwprompts prompt: Grief  
Date Written: 2/21/08  
Rating: PG-13/T  
Word Count: 1086  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, one-sided Gwen/Jack, Owen and Tosh  
Spoilers: Season 1 all the way through, major for "End of Days" and "Cyberwoman"  
Warnings: Yaoi/BL/Whatever you want to call it, and het. And Gwen bashing. Lots of Gwen bashing. Sorry, I couldn't help it.  
Author's Notes: I always found Gwen to be rather selfish at this point.  
-----  
When Gwen had brought in Jack's body, the rest of the team nearly deteriorated right then and there. After their discovery that Jack couldn't die, the fact that he _had _was a huge blow.

It was hard for Ianto to wrap his mind around. Jack was dead. Dead, deceased, gone forever, not coming back. Just like Lisa. He'd already felt the grief so acutely when Owen had shot him, like a hole had been ripped out of his heart, one still healing from the pain of another oh-so-recent loss.

There was no time for grieving, though. They'd had a job to do. So it had been stomped down, locked away. And then, just like that, Jack was back. Alive, breathing, grabbing Gwen's leg and demanding to know what they'd done while he'd been... well, dead.

The loss, the overwhelming joy at him being back with nary a scratch on him, then...

He was so pale now.

Gwen had asked to sit with him, and they'd given her the space. They all needed their own private time to grieve, and Ianto knew it would be easier for him to let out all his emotion when he was somewhere where he knew that the other three weren't staring at him on the CCTV. He'd wait until the others went home, doing some tidying up to clear his mind, then sit with Jack and grieve himself.

But Gwen didn't go home. Nor did she go home after the second day. The third day was when he'd gone into Jack's office to clean it up.

He'd saved Jack's office for last in his deep cleaning of the Hub. He stood in the doorway, and had to close his eyes and stop for a moment; Jack's presence was still alive in the office, and he half expected to hear Jack's voice behind him, low and teasing and pure sex in his ear, saying, _Ianto, are you going to go in, or would you prefer it up against the doorframe this time?_

He shook himself out of his trance, crossing the floor and reaching over to set Jack's papers in order. Jack always complained about having too many piles of paperwork, although it was fun watching him sweep them off his desk and flutter to the floor whenever he was impatient. He looked about, mentally cataloguing everything that needed to be put away when his eyes caught on Jack's jacket. He went to the coat rack, taking it off the peg. The wool was heavy and coarse in his hands, while the silk lining was soft and smooth under his thumbs. He could still smell Jack on it and he brought it up to his nose, burying his face against the scratchy fabric as he broke down into tears. He knew that Toshiko and Owen could see him. Let them look. He didn't care anymore.  
-----  
After he'd regained enough composure to seem like himself -- and after he'd washed his face -- he went down to the morgue where Jack's body was still lying on that cold, metal drawer, right next to Suzie. Gwen was still there, dozing a little, but she looked up when she'd heard Ianto's shoes on the walk.

Ianto ignored her, walking over to the other side and looking down at Jack. He was so pale. So terrifying pale. Lisa had been that sort of pale once; she'd passed out from the pain after he'd pulled her from the hell that was Torchwood One, and she'd become so pale he'd thought he'd lost her.

Jack was gone. Mr. "I Can't Die" was dead.

Ianto took his right hand, clutching it in both of his own. The skin was cold and clammy; he'd never feel the warm, reassuring hand on his shoulder or the hot touch of Jack's fingers on his body. Never see those beautiful eyes, never hear his voice calling for a cup of coffee or a file or for someone to get into his office _now_, thank you. Never hear his laugh, see him smile. Hear him moan in pleasure, whisper Ianto's name softly into his ear.

He closed his eyes and lowered his head against Jack's hand, leaning his cheek against Jack's hand. One final touch, that's all he wanted. One last kiss. He hadn't been able to give that to Lisa.

He'd moved to kiss Jack, but heard Gwen clear her throat. Oh, that's right. She was still there.

He looked up at her and saw her surprised look, and something in him just snapped.

"You know, you're not the only one grieving."

Gwen blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You sit there, acting like the grieving widow, while we don't get to say our good-byes to him." His voice was rising. The others would hear him soon.

"He's not dead; he'll wake up soon--"

"He's dead, you bitch!" Ianto winced inwardly as his voice echoed throughout the Hub. He knew he was lashing out, he knew that now the tears were coming hot and hard down his face but he didn't care. She didn't care about him, so why the hell should he return the favor? "Jack is dead, and he won't be coming back, and you won't let me tell him good-bye! Stop being so fucking selfish! Or do you just want me to act like this never happened too? Should I go bring you some fresh clothes, or maybe you'd like me to give you a sponge bath while I'm at it!"

She looked at him, all wide-eyed and flabbergasted and Ianto just wanted to smack the shit out of her. "That's all I'm good for, apparently! Don't show emotion, Ianto, just clean up their shit, no questions asked! I'm more like your fucking mother than your coworker! You don't care about anyone but yourself!"

"Ianto!"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, to find Owen and Toshiko at his side. Tosh reached over to rub his back, while Owen squeezed his shoulder gently. "Ianto, we're working on fixing the Rift Machine, why don't you come help us?" she said, offering him a smile.

"C'mon, we'll have some tea and a sit before we start, okay?" Owen added, gently starting to guide Ianto out before he reached over Jack's body and strangled the police constable across from him.

Ianto looked at Gwen, sniffling a little, knowing he looked absolutely pathetic and not caring what she thought. "I hate you."

He'd apologize later. Now, he wanted to let it simmer.  
-----


	11. Handle the Truth

Title: Handle the Truth  
dwtwprompts prompt: Truth  
Date Written: 2/24/08  
Rating: PG/K  
Word Count: 286  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Jack/Lisa (mentioned), Gwen/Rhys  
Spoilers: Season 1 at least, Season 2 Episode 4 (Meat)  
Warnings: Yaoi/BL/Whatever you want to call it, and het.  
Author's Notes: I really despise the fact that I'm using a line from a Tom Cruise movie. I've always liked the idea of Ianto being Jack's confidante. Having a conversation with someone can be so much more intimate than sleeping with them.  
-----  
After Gwen had stormed out of the Hub, Tosh and Owen had followed her lead and fled the Hub in short order. Ianto stayed behind but left Jack alone, sensing that the Captain needed his space. After a few hours, Ianto brought him a cup of coffee, quietly setting the mug within arm's reach before turning to leave. 

"Did I do the right thing?"

Ianto paused at the door and turned to look at Jack. "Do you want the Torchwood answer or my opinion?"

Jack gave him a bit of a grin. "I know the Torchwood answer, Yan."

He thought for a moment. "...I think you did."

Jack sat back in his seat, reaching for his coffee. "Really?"

"Yeah. I've been lucky that all of my..." He paused, thinking of the right word to say. "...my latest affairs have been within Torchwood. I could share more with my partners than Gwen's been able to share with Rhys. He's a good guy. He deserves to know the truth."

"I know. He deserved better than what I gave him." Jack took a sip of his drink, thinking. "Y'know, watching him work, it gave me a bit of hope for the human race. He saw something that was wrong and he did his best to stop it. Maybe... Maybe it's time for them to know what's out there."

Ianto gave him a sardonic smile. "Jack. Do you think that humanity is ready?"

"Were any of us? Were you?"

"Some days I still don't think I am."

Jack raised his eyebrows and Ianto turned. "I'll be finished with my work shortly. Would you like me to order something in?"

"Just as long as you don't order it under Torchwood--again!"  
-----


	12. Adventures in CCTV

Title: Adventures in CCTV  
dwtwprompts prompt: Acceptance  
Date Written: 2/21/08  
Rating: PG-13/T  
Word Count: 332  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Jack/Gwen (gasp), Owen and Gwen  
Spoilers: Season 1 at least  
Warnings: Yaoi/BL/Whatever you want to call it, and het... and some Gwen and Jack bashing.  
Author's Notes: Have I mentioned that I'm horrible at titles? 

I really, really hope they don't go this way. It would break my fangirl heart. And if they do it next week with Gwen's wedding episode, I'm going to just cry.  
-----  
"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know! I get the feeling we should tell him though."

"_We_? What _we_? You started it, spying on the boss."

"Oh, stuff it, Owen."

"It's true! You wanted to see if Jack was being as careful as normal with the cameras. Total fangirl, and I didn't even know it. You're finally starting to be interesting, Tosh."

"Owen!"

"Anyway, don't tell him. It'll just break his heart."

"I think Ianto deserves to know--"

"--Deserves to know what?"

Toshiko and Owen stood and turned guiltily, blocking the computer screens with their upper bodies. "Nothing," Owen replied immediately.

Ianto shrugged and started going about tidying up. Pizza boxes everywhere. Honestly, had they all been born in stables?

"Ianto," Tosh started in her _I have bad news voice_, and he sighed inwardly. Lovely. Just lovely. "Ianto, it's... it's Jack." She swallowed a little. "I'm not sure how to tell you this..." She looked at Owen, unsure.

Owen sighed. "Ianto, Jack's screwing Gwen."

Ianto blinked a little. Thank you Owen. At least he didn't beat around the proverbial bush. "Ah. Well. Who hasn't?" he replied easily before bending over to continue his task.

Tosh smacked Owen one before turning back to Ianto. "You mean, you knew?"

"Jack Harkness is many things, but subtle he is not," Ianto replied without looking up. "Besides, it's not like we're dating or anything." He gathered up the boxes and looked up at Toshiko and Owen. Owen was nodding, already turning back to his station, but Tosh was giving him her _That's so sad_ look. "It's fine, Tosh, honest. I knew what I was getting into when I started this."

The Asian woman crossed her arms, staring him down critically before deciding he was telling the truth. "If you ever need to just talk to someone about it..."

Ianto smiled. "I will." He walked past her, pausing to lean in. "Besides, he just sleeps with Gwen. He comes back to me"  
-----


	13. Kin Killing

Title: Kin Killing  
dwtwprompts prompt: Lost  
Date Written: 6/3/08  
Rating: PG-13/T  
Word Count: 1,257  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Team (mentioned) John Hart, Grey  
Spoilers: Up to Doctor Who Season 03 ender, MAJOR FOR _EXIT WOUNDS_. You've been warned.  
Warnings: Character death, angst and did I mention spoilers for _Exit Wounds_?  
Author's Notes: Okay. So everyone's done it by now. But I haven't. So here it is.

* * *

'John' stuck around and helped with the aftermath. That had been a major surprise to Jack. He'd fully expected his ex-partner to bolt, but he hadn't.

Maybe he'd known that they'd need the extra help. They'd both seen their fair share of wars, both while working together and apart, and John knew the cleanup that would ensue.

Gwen kept herself busy with the police, rallying her former brothers- and sisters-in-arms in that oh so human way, helping the city pick up the pieces and start hobbling things back together. Crime was virtually non-existant for some reason -- either the criminals were sobered by the strike and gone on holiday, or there was no one left to report the incidents -- but it would bounce back soon enough.

John helped stablize the Rift (he'd opened it anyway) and they all flinched every time they saw him sitting at Toshiko's desk, her pictures and papers and reading glasses still thrown hastily aside when they'd gotten the alarm those long ages ago.

Ianto seemed to push aside his feud with John and together they fell in, scrubbing the Hub's floors and reverently slotting Toshiko into her drawer. John had asked about burial rites and her parents, but the Welshman had firmly -- but politely -- informed him that Torchwood did things differently, and anyway Tosh's parents were Japanese Buddhist and they would probably have wanted her cremated. A suitible excuse could be given when they handed over an urn with ashes from a fireplace. With a scary proficency, Ianto contacted Toshiko and Owen's relatives, sent flowers and arranged for transportation into Cardiff for their relatives.

He was on the phone with a funeral director when, without Jack asking, he quietly set up the alien cryogenics for Grey.

Jack did not allow Ianto to help him put his little brother into the chamber. Grey was his responsibility.

Yet again, it was _all his fault_. It was the Year that Never Was all over, but there was no magic wand to wave and turn everything back. 2,835 dead -- including Owen and Toshiko -- and they were all because of him.

The voices in his mind were drowned out by the sound of Ianto and John. He'd expected John to have left by now, having given his final kiss and condolences, not lingering in the crypt with his young lover. Ianto, frankly, he'd expected to find here -- predictibly with clipboard in hand, filling out the appropriate paperwork, awaiting Jack's signature.

"These cryogenics, they go haywire sometimes?" John was asking.

"On occassion," Ianto's polite -- and neutral -- response.

Jack didn't move, couldn't move. Were they _really _going to do it?

"We should make sure he never wakes up," John said, crossing his arms. We.

Ianto nodded in agreement, not looking up from his writing.

"He's... he's insane. It would be kinder."

Another nod. Jack felt a flurry of emotions -- anger at the two who could so calmly dole out judgement on his baby brother, pain at the knowledge that their words were right, the hollowness of losing so many -- but mostly he felt relief. Because if anyone could do the one thing he couldn't bring himself to do, it would be them.

Then the guilt washed over him, threatening to drown him again.

"If I had known what he would do..."

"_If 'ifs' and 'ands' were pots and pans, there'd be no work for tinkers_," Ianto replied, finally looking up at a stunned John. "It's a Mother Goose rhyme."

"O-kay. So. How do you go about sabotaging one of these things?" John asked, his hand reaching for the drawer Grey was in.

Ianto's clipboard slid between the ex-Time Agent's hands and the drawer handle. "We don't."

"What d'you mean _we don't_?"

"English must not be your first language, you don't have a very good grasp of its concepts." Ianto's blue eyes narrowed. "It is not our decision to make if he should live or die."

"Jack can't do it. He doesn't have the heart to kill his brother." John squared his shoulders, preparing to battle Ianto down. "If we don't do it now, he'll come back and kill more people that Jack love. You could be one of them."

"You'll find I'm rather hard to kill," Ianto replied, his tone even. The quiet fury the Welshman could generate was even more terrifying than seeing him in a rage. When Ianto was in a rage, he was irrational, he got sloppy.

His quiet fury was deadly accurate.

"I imagine that even in Jack's time, kin killing is still very much taboo," he continued, leveling his gaze at John. "Even when said kin has killed your kin as well. None of us are thinking rationally at the moment, we're shell-shocked, grief-stricken. Enraged. To lash out in response to a slight right now, when we're not thinking rationally, would do us more harm than good."

"So you're going to let him live? After he killed half your team, took Jack and iburied him alive/i for two thousand years? Imprisioned you?"

"It is not my decision to make," Ianto repeated. "It's Jack's."

"News flash, Eye Candy, Jack fucks up from time to time."

"We are all fallible," Ianto replied. "He's not the only one who's kept a monster hell-bent on destruction in the basement before, after all."

"What the hell does that -- "

Jack decided it was time to step in before things got ugly. He came around the corner and both men immediately noticed him. John's eyes went big when he realized that the Captain had probably been listening in.

"I should go," he managed, pulling open his Vortex Manipulator and punching in some coordinates before dissapearing in a flash of orange and yellow.

Ianto watched Jack as the immortal came forward and put his hand on the drawer that held Grey. The same one he'd slept in for almost a hundred years. "Your signature," he said quietly, holding out the clipboard and pen.

Jack signed it carelessly. "Did you mean that?"

"Mean what, Jack?"

"That it wasn't your decision to make."

"It's not." Ianto's brows pinched a little over the bridge of his nose. "You're the Captain, you make the rules."

Jack gave a humorless smile. "I wouldn't blame you, if you did. I'd..." _Be grateful._

Ianto put a padlock on the drawer, noting the combination on the form before he looked at Jack. "We've both lost family. I'm not going to make you lose another brother again today."

The immortal reached forward and pulled his younger lover into a fierce, possessive hug. "Ianto." With those two sylabols he tried to convey everything.

_Thank you. So much, for everything. I can't bear the thought of Toshiko and Owen gone, but if I'd lost you too..._

The younger man returned the hug, closing his eyes and pressing his face against the crook of Jack's neck. Jack could feel the tears that leaked out and had to fight back his own.

After a few moments, Ianto regained his composure and pulled back, wiping at his cheeks. "We should clean up before Gwen gets in," he said. "I don't know if she can take it." He didn't mean it in a negative way, it was just that both of them had more experience dealing with the deaths of coworkers.

Jack gave him a small smile and nodded. And when Ianto's hand found his as they walked up to the main floor of the Hub, he didn't say anything, just gave an appreciative squeeze.


	14. Five Ways the SUV Got Water Damage

Title: Five Ways the SUV Got Water Damage  
Count the Ways prompt: Laked!SUV  
Date Written: 6/17/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 1,518 Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Team, Martha (mentined), the Doctor (mentioned)  
Spoilers: Torchwood Season 1, Doctor Who 04, particularly _The Sontaran Strategem_  
Warnings: Boys kissing, implied sex, character death  
Author's Notes: Everyone's done 'em. Here's mine. Also, blant disregard for Exit Wounds.

* * *

ONE:

"Oh, this I have _got _to hear," Jack called out as he hurried down the stairs, grinning at a sopping wet Suzie, Owen and Toshiko.

Owen swore and pulled his shirt off over his head, wringing water out of it. Ianto wrinkled his nose a little, carefully stepping around the puddle as he handed over towels.

Suzie sighed. "You know that alien we've been tracking?"

"Sort of hard to ignore it," Jack replied, hitting the landing and walking towards them, hands in his pockets. "We've been working the case for about a week now."

"Well, it can project psychic images," his second continued, scrubbing her hair dry. Her normally curly hair frizzed at the action, poofing out in a way that made Jack want to grab a camera. "And Mr. _I Have To Drive The Car_ here drove into a river."

"I _thought _there was a bridge!" Owen argued, glaring at her from under his own towel.

"All the tech went into the water," Toshiko added, fishing into the pocket of her wet pants. "I might be able to save some of it, but..." She held up her PDA for emphasis, and Ianto and Jack stepped back when water poured out from the device.

"I'll call a mate of mine who owns a tow truck," Ianto said, looking over at Jack. "He won't ask too many questions."

"Do it," Jack added, watching in amusement as the others shifted in their wet clothing, shivering a little. "You three, hit the showers. Can't have over half the team getting sick."

"I'll get a mop as well," Ianto said, glaring at the puddles that Suzie, Tosh and Owen left in their wake.

* * *

TWO:

_There is an overwhelming number of aliens that can possess or imitate humans_, Tosh reflected, tugging again at the ropes that tied her hands behind her back. _Are we so easy to influence?_

The alien in the driver's seat, a particularly nasty gaseous being that had overtaken one Robert Jones, turned to grin at her. The grin really should have been the giveaway, it was far from human. "You're all just weak little apes," he hissed at her. "Playing at being gods."

She struggled harder at her bindings. "When the others find you -- "

"When the others find me, I'll be in you," he said, reaching one hand over to touch her cheek. Toshiko flinched and pulled away from the touch, making the alien laugh. "And then? I'll have every single piece of knowledge in that brain of yours. I'll finally be able to get off this rock."

"They'll figure it out," she spat out.

"Oh, they will? They're so stupid they couldn't figure out who I really was." He grinned. "Weak, stupid apes. And once I've got all your smarts, I'll jump into that Jack Harkness. Brilliant and immortal, that is the way to do it."

"You want to learn something new now?" Tosh asked, turning a little in her seat to get a proper look at him.

"Why not? I'll learn it anyway."

"It's something my mother used to tell me all the time when I was a child." She gave a grin when the alien took his eyes off the road. "Always buckle up."

Toshiko lunged forward over the armrest, knocking his hands off the steering wheel. With her hands back behind her, she used the momentum of her body to turn the wheel sharply to the right.

The others watched, horrified, as the SUV jerked across the oncoming lane, crashed through the guardrail and went hood-first into the little river they'd been crossing. Gwen slammed the brakes on and threw her car into park, the boys out of the car and running down to the water's edge before the car had even completely stopped. When no one came up after thirty seconds, all four of them jumped into the water to go get Toshiko.

Owen tried CPR for an hour before Jack, Ianto and Gwen pulled him away. The doctors at A & E said she died on impact.

* * *

THREE:

"You did _what_?" Ianto's quite query echoed across the Hub.

Toshiko, Owen and Jack stopped what they were doing and looked over him. The Welshman was standing next to Gwen's desk, giving her an incredulous look.

Gwen worried her lower lip with her top teeth. Only her second week and she'd blown it twice. "I thought I'd put the SUV in park, but then I turned around and -- "

"-- And it was in the Bay," Ianto finished, arching one dark, elegant eyebrow. "The _Bay_."

"I'm so sorry, I am!" she said, looking like she was about to burst into tears. "I'll pay for a new one, or whatever I have to do!" Ianto was pretty scary when he got like that. All he had to do was give Jack a look and the Captain was falling all over himself to do what Ianto wanted.

And everyone thought Ianto was just the dogsbody.

"Well, it was bound to happen eventually," Ianto finally said, giving a sigh. "At least you didn't drive directly into it."

"OI!" Owen protested from across the Hub. Jack threw his head back and laughed.

"You also have the pleasure of cleaning it out when we get it out," Ianto continued, handing her a mug of coffee.

"Cheers, mate," Gwen muttered.

* * *

FOUR:

When Martha Jones calls and says "UNIT's working a case, and I'm calling the Doctor in tomorrow", Jack Harkness hops to.

The amazing thing is that he still, _still_, after nearly 100 years of living in and working for the British throne, he still doesn't know London's streets.

"We have a GPS," Ianto said, pointing at the ATMOS screen. The position of the SUV was currently blinking a bright red arrow on the screen.

_Turn right._

"I don't like it," Jack admitted, crossing his arms as Ianto turned obediently.

"You just don't like a machine telling you what to do," Ianto teased, taking his eyes off the road to smile at Jack.

_Turn left._

"No. And besides, can't I just think of an excuse to spirit you away for a bit?" Jack teased back, leaning over to smile at him. "Just you and me, a few days in London?"

"We did that last week, _sir_. Now we're here on official business."

"Ooh, breaking out the sirs, you know what that does to me," Jack murmured, leaning over to kiss Ianto's ear.

"Jack, stop that." Ianto batted Jack's face away. "When we're at the hotel."

_This is your final destination._

"Oh, I have good timing," Jack said with a grin, pulling back and looking out the front window. His grin slowly faded as he recognized the scene in front of him. "Ianto, is that--?"

"The Thames river? Yep." The Welshman frowned at the ATMOS system, reaching over to tap the screen. "You got it wrong," he scolded the screen.

"Now you're arguing with a machine," the Captain said with a laugh.

_This is your final destination._

Both men looked at the screen. The computerized voice sounded creepy, almost sinister.

The doors locked with an audible click.

"Oh, fuck," both men swore as the car slammed itself into gear. Jack reached over and grabbed Ianto's hand, holding it tight as they barreled towards the water.

The airbags exploded when the car impacted, throwing both men back against the seats, powder flying into the air. For one crazy second, Jack thought the car had caught on fire.

There was a loud pop to his right, and Jack looked over to see Ianto fighting back the airbag with the SUV's emergency tool. He reached over and popped Jack's as well, giving him a bit of a smile. "I don't know if we should be glad or not about the bulletproof glass," he told Jack.

Jack, in turn, leaned over and gave him a hard kiss. Or he tried, but his seatbelt was locked. Ianto reached over to start cutting him free with the blade side, but Jack waved him off. "You get yourself out first," he ordered as water started seeping into the car's interior.

Ianto opened his mouth to argue, but Jack's face told him not to do it. "All right." He undid his own seat belt, leaning over to give Jack a quick kiss. "Don't drown," he said before reaching back and slamming the pointed side against the driver's side window. The glass fractured under the force of the sharp point, and shattered on the third. He knocked out the entire pane before handing the tool over to Jack and climbing out, having to fight against the water flowing into the broken window.

Jack was still fighting with the seat belt when the water reached his chin. He took a deep breath before the water closed over his nose.

Drowning always sucked.

* * *

FIVE:

"We. Cannot. Tell the others." Ianto insisted, water dripping off of his hair. "They can never know this."

Jack fell down in a wet heap on the Plass. "I can't believe you hit the gear with your foot climbing into the back seat!"


	15. Summer Time in the City

Title: Summer Time In The City lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day One Date Written: 7/10/08 Rating: PG/K+ Word Count: 412 Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto Spoilers: None Warnings: Boys kissing Author Notes: sigh I joined the bandwagon.

**_"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon;  
to me those have always been the two most  
beautiful words in the English language."_**

**_- Henry James_**

It was raining.

That in and of itself wasn't unusual. It rained a lot in Cardiff, thanks to the water cycle. Water from the Bay evaporated and became rainclouds, which then dumped the water back down onto Cardiff.

Science was amazing. What was even more amazing, however, was that Jack iwanted/i to go out in this weather.

Some days, Ianto thought that the whole 'immortality' thing really screwed up Jack's mind.

Jack was standing in the Information Booth, grinning a little. "C'mon. I'm hungry. You're hungry. The others are eating downstairs. And I need to get out of here, get some actual fresh air."

"So go eat," Ianto said, looking back down at his work.

"You've been down in the Archives all morning."

"And?"

Jack tapped the umbrella on the floor in annoyance.

"Jack, it's pouring outside."

"It's so clearing up," the Captain argued, throwing the door open to prove his point. The deluge had turned into a softer pattering of rain. "See? Oh, c'mon Ianto" he whined.

The Welshman rolled his eyes. "Fine. You're paying."

* * *

The rain had tapered off into a drizzle by the time they finished with lunch. Jack still popped the umbrella open and pulled Ianto close so they could share the covering on the short jaunt back to the Information Booth. A few sunbeams peaked in here and there, bright patches of blue starting to spot through the cloud cover.

Ianto held his hand out from under the cover of the umbrella. A few drops were still falling, splashing on his skin. He looked down at the tiny spots on his hand and smiled faintly before shaking the droplets off.

Jack laughed, folding the umbrella up and snapping the tie in place to keep the spines down. The weather was nice and mild, still a little humid from the water still lingering in the atmosphere. "Turned out nice," he said.

"Yup."

They continued to walk in silence, Jack's arm still around Ianto's waist. A sudden wind swept by, bringing a sudden flurry of rain. The younger man frowned and tried to duck underneath a nearby overhang, but Jack pulled him close, dropping the umbrella onto the concrete with a clatter. "Jack!"

"What, never danced in the rain?" Jack teased, taking one of Ianto's hands in his own and spinning him around.

Ianto rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his grin. "You are mad, Harkness."

Jack laughed and just kissed him, and Ianto forgot about the rain.


	16. All At Sea

Title: All At Sea  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Two  
Date Written: 7/11/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 1, 279  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen, Tosh and Owen (mentioned)  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: More boys kissing.  
Author Notes: The prompt for this one is a picture of a person diving into the ocean. For teachwriteslash, whose family is losing its collective minds. Since you can't drown them dear, here's a swim lesson. Title from Jamie Cullum's song of the same title.

* * *

"You don't know how to swim?"

Gwen's astonished question cut through Owen and Toshiko's debate on the latest Rift gift, breaking Ianto's interest in subject. He turned to his left to focus on his lover and his countrywoman.

Jack was frowning. "No. Where I'm from, you stayed away from the oceans. No real place to learn."

"But Jack," Gwen protested, "we're right on the Bay! What if you fall in?"

"I'll turn up eventually," he replied, a macabre smile on his face.

Gwen sighed before noticing that the younger man was listening in. "Maybe he'll listen to you," she said in Welsh.

Jack's frown deepened and he looked over at Ianto. "I'll take care of it," the younger man replied in kind, picking up his coffee mug. He could understand her worry; while they often took Jack's immortality for granted, they really did try to limit the number of deaths he had to endure. If they could avoid one more method, so be it.

"Stop plotting against me in foreign languages!"

* * *

The scent of chlorine was strong but not choking in the air. Jack and Ianto were standing in front of a long rectangular pool in a secondary school gym, the water clear and casting a pale blue tint on the bottom of the concrete pool. "Ianto, I know you're amazing, but how did you manage this?"

The Welshman stepped up to the edge and squatted down, dipping his fingers into the water to test the temperature of the pool. "A mate of mine teaches here, she lent me her keys," he said, standing and wiping his hand off on the hip of his jeans.

"Ooh, she?"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Are you hydrophobic or just can't swim?"

"A little of both," Jack admitted with a sigh. "At home, the sea creatures are more inclined to eat you if you stray into their territory than they are here on Earth. You're conditioned from birth to stay away from the water."

"What about the pool? Should we start with just your feet in the water?"

Jack gave him a withering look. "I can see the bottom, so I'm good."

"Good," Ianto repeated before grabbing Jack's arm and throwing him into the shallow end.

Jack quickly found his footing and popped up from under the surface, angrily shaking water out of his face. "What was that for?" he demanded, putting his hands on his hips and wading towards the side.

"We're starting our swim lesson," Ianto said casually, trainers squeaking on the wet concrete as he stepped further towards the deep end and out of Jack's reach, just in case.

The Captain put his thumbs in his braces. "While I'm still dressed?!" he asked, pulling on them a little to illustrate his point.

"You're pretty quick getting out of clothes," Ianto agreed, "but changing into swim trunks in midair would be a feat, even for you." He stopped at the deep end, hands casually in his back pockets. "I want to keep this as real-life accurate as possible."

"Are you just going to stand there?" Jack asked, slicking his wet hair back so it didn't drip in his face.

"Might do, yeah."

"Bastard."

Ianto laughed and pulled his hands out of his pockets. He swung his arms back behind him, bending his knees a little before jumping off the side, his body arcing into a graceful dive, hands in a point above his head, head tucked between his arms. His feet even naturally pointed as he entered the water with barely a splash, the water rippling and making the reflection of the black tile racing lines on the bottom of the pool ripple.

Jack applauded when the young man breached the water and wiped at his face with his hands. "Perfect as usual."

Ianto rolled his eyes, kicking over to Jack. "Swim team in uni," he explained.

"Scholarship?"

"Club team, not school team." He stood in the shallow end, and Jack licked his lips. The water was just above waist level and the tee the Welshman was wearing was clinging oh-so-delightfully to his chest.

"Focus, Captain," Ianto scolded, and images of teacher/student scenarios flicked through the Captain's mind. "Later. Lesson now," he said, holding his hand out.

Jack grinned a little, but obediently took Ianto's hand. The younger man led him towards the deeper end, until the water was about chest height. He let go of Jack's hand, walking around to wrap his arms around his waist. "You alright?" he murmured into his ear.

The Captain closed his eyes and leaned back into him, let those gorgeous Welsh vowels wash over him. "Mm-hmm," he agreed.

"Good." Ianto kissed his temple. "Lean your head back on my shoulder." When Jack did as instructed, he slowly lowered himself down into the water, using one of his own legs to stretch down along his back.

There was a little flutter of panic when his ears hit the water, but Ianto's hand was in one of Jack's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You're doing fine." He could hear Ianto's voice, slightly muffled from the water and the sound of his own heart beating. "Don't tighten up, just relax." He felt Ianto's body slip away from his own, one hand moving up to the small of his back while the other held fast to his other hand.

Jack slowly opened his eyes to see Ianto smiling at him. "I'm right here, Jack. You're okay."

* * *

Ianto's cell phone went off from its position on the bleachers, the tinny notes bouncing off the tile walls. "Been three hours, time to go," he said, slipping under the water, pushing off the bottom of the pool and swimming underwater to the side. Jack, instead, bounced off the ground, making his way to the steps.

He looked over when Ianto pushed himself out of the pool, shedding water all over the cement. He kicked out of his trainers, bending over to scoop them up and Jack was so distracted by the way Ianto's wet jeans clung to his rear that he slipped on a tiled line and fell into the water with a shout and a splash. He came back up quickly, coughing and spitting out water.

"All right, Jack?" Ianto called out, approaching side where the Captain was struggling towards the stairs.

"Y-yeah," he coughed, thumping his chest to get any extra water out of his lungs. Damn, but the chlorine burned! "Just slipped."

Ianto pulled -- no, _peeled _-- his wet shirt off and twisted it over the pool, water pouring out of it. Jack nearly slipped again, watching the muscles move underneath the wet skin, droplets clinging to his body.

Holy. Fuck. People who said that Jack had the body of a sex god hadn't had the privilege of seeing Ianto Jones.

"You did good today, Jack," Ianto said, snapping Jack out of his reverie. "I think you're lying about this being your first swim lesson."

Jack smirked. "Can't it just be a huge ploy to get you wet?"

"I already told you, no sex in the pool, I don't know where they store the chlorine." He untwisted the shirt and snapped it straight with an easy, practiced motion. "Coming? We really should bathe here, rinse the chlorine off."

Jack was out of the pool before Ianto finished the sentence, fingers buried in his wet hair as he kissed the life out of the younger man.

* * *

"Oh, Ianto!" Gwen smiled as the Welshman handed over her morning coffee. "How did swimming lessons go yesterday?"

"He swims like a stone," Ianto lied easily. "He's really going to need a lot more practice."

"Pity."

"That it is."


	17. Theater Critic

Title: Theater Critic  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Three  
Date Written: 7/12/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 669  
Fandom: Torchwood and Shakespeare (is Shakespeare a fandom, technically)  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto  
Spoilers: Up through Torchwood Season 02  
Warnings: BL/yaoi  
Author Notes: Inspired by the title of lj user's ahlai's Day Three challenge entry, which is great. This one's for you! grins And as we all know, yes I am a geek. Moving on.

_tea cup /'ti kp/ tee-kuhp  
- noun 1. a cup in which tea is served, usually of small or moderate size.  
2. a teacupful.  
-Idiom  
**3. tempest in a teacup or teapot, a disturbance or uproar about little or nothing.  
**_

"You've been quiet tonight," Ianto commented, his back to Jack as he set about righting their clothing in the hotel's bureau drawers. "Everything okay?"

The Captain didn't even look up from his book. "Yeah."

Ianto turned and regarded his lover. Jack was sprawled out on his stomach, a pillow tucked up under his chest as he read from a thick tome. Ianto smiled and joined him on the bed, pressing against his back and nuzzling the nape of his neck. "What are you reading?"

Jack smiled, turning his face a little towards Ianto, using his thumb to mark his spot as he shut the book. The famous painting of William Shakespeare smiled back up at them.

The Welshman chuckled softly. "So we saw the play at Shakespeare's Globe today, and now you're reading up? Did you become a theater convert?" he teased, kissing his neck gently.

"I like Shakespeare," Jack protested, leaning back into Ianto. "I just... never really liked the one we saw today."

"_Much Ado About Nothing_?" Ianto let his lips rest against the immortal's neck. "Well, it's good, but the tragedies are funnier."

"It's not just that, although you're right," Jack said, nuzzling at Ianto's cheek. "It's the premise of the play, relationships and lies."

"It's pretty accurate," Ianto countered. "I mean, just look at telly, or at films. How many programs have plot twists where one character lied about a person's motives to get what they want? And not just romance films, action movies do it too."

"But just look at what Claudio did to poor Hero!"

Ianto almost retorted with 'You've never caused injury to a lover?' but thought better of it. This had been a surprise from Jack, a romantic weekend in London, kicked off with one of Ianto's favorite playwrights. He didn't want to ruin the wonderful gift.

Instead, he kissed his ear. "Young love tends to be stupid. You're testing boundaries in yourselves and the relationship, you do things to hurt each other, intentionally or not. Besides, he hardly came up with the idea, Don John tricked him."

"So he trusted an obviously untrustworthy character instead of the woman he loved?"

Ianto nipped at his neck, partly in tease, partly to distract him, and mostly in annoyance that Jack was taking something so trivial as a play so seriously. "He'd only known Hero what, a day, maybe two? While he'd fought alongside John, probably had the man save his life. You know what bonds get forged between soldiers who've gone through battle. You miss the big things and write them off as little human imperfections."

Both of them fell quiet as they thought back to a younger team, Suzie with her obsessive quirks. They'd all been so shocked when she turned out to be such a murderer, but upon reflection they saw all the little things they missed.

"Okay," Jack finally relented. "What about Benedick and Beatrice? Their entire relationship was founded on a lie."

Ianto pulled back, looking down at his lover in disbelief. "Jack?"

"Hmn?"

"So was ours."

Jack rolled over onto his back and looked back up at him. Ianto's face look haunted, and the Captain could hear the faint echo of once-spoken words:

_"Girlfriend, Lisa Hallet."_

_"Deceased."_

Jack frowned a little before he shook his head. "No. You lied, yes, and it was a big one, but you also liked me, even as just as an employee to his boss." He reached up to cup his face with both hands. "You and me, Ianto, we're not based on a lie."

The younger man felt his breath catch in his chest and Jack smiled up at him. By the time Ianto found his voice again, Jack's fingers were busy undoing the buttons on his shirt. "Jack, I -- "

"_Peace, I will stop your mouth_," Jack quoted, tugging Ianto down by his shirt lapels and kissing him firmly.

Ianto knocked the book off the bed, enjoying the thonk it made against the floor.

Shakespeare was so totally overrated.


	18. Busted

Title: Busted  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Four  
Date Written: 7/13/08  
Rating: G/K  
Word Count: 115  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen, Andy  
Spoilers: Up through Torchwood Season 02  
Warnings: Crack. Sorta.  
Author Notes: The prompt for this day is the song (Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay. First post-Exit Wounds fic. I'm still in denial, so I thought I'd break myself in slowly.

* * *

"Oh, this I have got to hear." Gwen Cooper Williams crossed her arms and grinned at Ianto Jones and Captain Jack Harkness.

The other two thirds of Torchwood scowled back at her.

"Picked up for public indecency," Andy Davidson informed her, a huge smirk on his face. He was loving every minute. "And at their age!"

"Hey!" Jack protested.

"It's disgraceful!" Andy shot back before turning back to Gwen. "Snogging like a pair of kids down on the docks."

"The important retrieval mission!" Gwen said, giving Jack a sardonic smile.

Inside the holding cell, Ianto groaned and buried his face in his hands. "It will _never, ever happen again_, Andy, I swear."

"Hey now..."


	19. Wardrobe Malfunction

Title: Wardrobe Malfunction  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Five  
Date Written: 7/13/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 390  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto  
Spoilers: Up through Season 02  
Warnings: Crack. I'm in a lulzy mood lately.  
Author Notes: The prompt for this one is a Pepto- Barbie pink tie.

* * *

"Torchwood owes me a new tie, sir."

Jack turned to look at him in disbelief. "Ianto Jones. We are in the bowels of an enemy spaceship, with aliens that want to kill us on the other side of this cell door and a bomb headed down to Earth, and you are _bitching about a tie_?"

"This was one of my favorites," Ianto protested, waving the tattered end of his tie about.

Jack regarded the piece in Ianto's hand before looking at the frayed bit of pink still looped around Ianto's neck. It had been a noble sacrifice when they'd been hauled into the cell, the long claws of the alien slicing through the tie instead of Ianto's fragile skin. "Don't you think it was a little... _pink_?" he asked before turning around and flipping his Vortex Manipulator open again, pressing buttons. By now he was just pressing at random, hoping that something would work.

"My niece gave me this tie for my birthday," Ianto said, standing and tucking the torn end into his inside suit pocket.

"Oh?" Jack looked over his shoulder, glancing at the tie again. "Explains the Barbie pink."

"My father helped her _make this tie by hand_," Ianto growled, flipping the bench he'd been sitting on over and kicking at one of its legs. The metal gave after a few strategically-placed blows, and he set about knocking the other three off.

"I'll replace your fucking tie, okay?" Jack said in exasperation, heading over to the door and seeing if he could pick it normally. Bolt lock. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could do this with his fingernail if he tried hard enough. Honestly people, put a better lock on the holding cells before you start taking over planets.

"That's all I'm asking," the Welshman said, handing over a bench leg.

Jack gripped it in one hand, putting his foot up by the doorknob and judging how much force he'd have to use to break the door open and not break his leg. He took a step back before leaning in to pull Ianto into him, kissing him hard. "Don't you dare die."

"Same to you," Ianto repeated, grinning against his mouth. "We have to go tie shopping."

"Right then." Jack nipped at his lips one last time before pulling away. "Here we go."


	20. Wishes Redesigned

Title: Wishes Redesigned  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Six  
Date Written: 7/11/08  
Rating: PG-13/T to be on the safe side  
Word Count: 600  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Lisa, Team Torchwood (mentioned)  
Spoilers: For Doctor Who up through Season 02, and for Torchwood up through _Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang_, to be safe  
Warnings: Angst, battle mentions and het and gay. Or, all the good things.  
Author Notes: Inspired predominantly by torchwoodlove and their pictoral Day Six challenge entry. It's also a bribe for teachwriteslash, for another part of her ongoing fic. This one's for you two!

**_How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!  
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.  
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!  
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd._**

**_- Alexander Pope_**

There was a time, a lifetime ago, before Canary Wharf, when Ianto Jones had known exactly what was going to happen for the rest of his life.

Lisa, of course, figured into it predominantly -- as his world, his soul, his very being, she would hold the coveted position of wife, partner, queen. He'd live for her, die for her, give anything and everything for her happiness.

Of course, children would follow. Probably quite a few, because she was _amazing _in bed -- and even if she wasn't Ianto loved her and that meant that he couldn't keep his hands off of her. He could even see them, children with their mother's devastatingly beautiful looks, his eyes and laugh. Daughters to adore and dote upon and keep him tied tight to their little fingers. Sons to encourage and teach rugby to and be his pride and joy. They'd take over the world, those Jones-Hallet hybrids.

There was Torchwood too, of course. The job he just fit into, as if he'd been born to do it. Some of his coworkers had said Life was Torchwood and everything else was marking time -- Ianto knew that Lisa was Life and Torchwood was just a fantastic perk.

All those dreams, gone in a firestorm.

Even when Lisa had been alive -- as such it could be called -- he'd accepted that they'd probably never have children. The Cybernetics were in every inch of her, she'd never be able to conceive. The realization had devastated him, imaginary children winking out of potential existence. He'd told himself when she got better, after they were married and everything was perfect again, they could take in children as their own, ones that had other peoples' faces and expressions but just as beautiful and adored.

Then Torchwood became Life, because Life had been taken away.

Sometimes he would think on it, on all those shattered dreams, those hopes and wishes locked away. A part of him still wanted that, the partner, the kids, the house with a garden and maybe even a dog. He'd practically resigned himself to how his life had turned out.

"Ianto."

He looked up from where he'd been daydreaming in front of the filing cabinet -- again, he always got like this around Canary Wharf's anniversary -- and turned to see Jack in the doorway of the Archives. "Yes, Jack?"

"Dinner tonight, you and me," Jack said, making it both a request and an order at the same time. "Maybe even a film, but I get to pick this time! I love you, but I can only take so many chick flicks."

"I didn't know the last one was a _chick flick_," Ianto retorted, "the review said it was a comedy."

"Romantic comedy, thus chick flick." Jack grinned. "I'm thinking spy movie. One of the cinemas is showing an old Bond movie marathon."

"Sean Connery it is then."

Jack grinned and threw him a wink before disappearing.

Ianto turned back to his work, the dreams of the past mixing with the present situation. He had the partner in Jack, kids in Owen, Toshiko, and Gwen, the house in the Hub -- complete with greenhouse garden -- and the guard dog constantly flapping overhead and begging for take-away tidbits.

His dreams and wishes hadn't been resigned or thrown away, he suddenly realized. They'd just shifted outside traditional views. And here he'd been worried he'd never have what he wanted, when he really had it all long.

When he mentioned his revelation to Jack later, the Captain had just smiled and said, "Took you long enough."


	21. Perfect Tens

Title: Perfect Tens  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Seven  
Date Written: 7/12/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 1,000 on the dot!  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Team, Doctor  
Spoilers: Up through Doctor Who 03 and Torchwood 02  
Warnings: None (besides a little knocking on the 4th wall)  
Author Notes: The prompt for Day Seven was two lines from the song Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful.

**_Till I'm wheezing like a bus stop  
Running up the stairs, gonna meet you on the rooftop  
-- Summer in the City  
The Lovin' Spoonful  
_**

Some days, Jack's life fit in such a perfect symmetry that he was convinced that the world was plotted out like some sort of bad sci-fi novel, or maybe a television program.

Today, the world was fitting into groups of ten. A nice, round, appreciated number, but the novelty was beginning to wear thin.

At ten o'clock in the morning, on the dot, they had gotten a signal on the Rift detector. Ten past, the team trudged out to discover that the SUV has a flat and they were forced to split into two groups and take their own cars.

Ten to noon found Owen Harper's (very, very nice and very, very _expensive_) automobile bottom up in Cardiff Bay. Jack still hadn't figured out how that one happened, but he was reasonably sure it wasn't his fault.

Ianto had to run out of the Hub ten minutes before the afternoon staff meeting because the coffee machine went on the fritz. The Welshman had tried to pin the blame on everyone else in the team as he set their commercial coffee orders at each place, but no one had fessed up. Not that they would anyway, for fear of being put on permanent decaf.

Ten after five had found his lover's talented tongue in his mouth. That had been rather enjoyable, until the Prime Minister called ten minutes later, interrupting Jack in the middle of his very important task of trying to seduce Ianto Jones down into his quarters. Bloody politicians.

Now here they were -- well, he was -- at ten o'clock at night, taking the emergency stairway up to the roof of Ianto's apartment complex. Ten landings. Ten steps per flight. All of them separating him from Ianto, who was facing down potentially hostile aliens on the roof.

And he should have been up there _ten minutes ago_, when Ianto's mobile signal cut out.

Jack pulled his Webley out as he rushed up the stairs, fingers wrapped around the handle, trying to keep his hand from shaking from the adrenaline and sheer fear running through his body. If anything had happened to Ianto, if he was...

He kicked the roof entrance door open so hard it snapped the rusted door stop in half and slammed against the wall it was hinged to, Webley up as he took in the scene before him. A very familiar blue box was sitting in the corner, his lover and the Doctor -- tenth regeneration, Jack remembered with exasperation -- were staring at him, wide-eyed from the ruckus he'd created. Ten little balls of silvery gold light were floating around them.

"Jack!" The Doctor frowned at the gun, but broke out into a brilliant grin once the Captain holstered it. "I understand that our little friends have been giving you trouble today."

"The Doctor was telling me that they're from Gallifrey," Ianto explained, holding out a hand. Three little lights flitted down onto the Welshman's hand, the light fading enough to reveal little fairy-like creatures. For one frightening instant Jack's mind flashed to the Mara-fairies, but the Doctor was smiling.

Jack trusted the Doctor enough to put his Ianto in the Time Lord's hands.

"We called them something else, but the closest human translation for them would be _Faturni_." He gave another one of his trademark grins. "It's where the Latin _fatus _comes from."

"Fate," Ianto said, laughing as they began playing with his fingertips. "All the tens today." He waved his free hand. "Ten Faturni."

"I thought the Time Lords weren't allowed to interfere," Jack taunted the Doctor.

"Sometimes we had to," the alien defended, crossing his arms. "They're beings of Time and Space as well, they like to slip out and make mischief."

"What are you going to do with them?" Ianto asked taking his gaze off the little Faturni fairies to glance at the Doctor.

"Might keep them on the TARDIS," he replied, shrugging. "She'll like the attention and they can keep each other in check."

Ianto nodded, laughing and looking his age instead of ten years older when the other seven balls of light swooped down around him, tugging at his dress shirt. "They seem to like you," the Doctor commented with a grin. "Would you mind setting them up in the TARDIS?"

"Oh, can I?" The archivist's excitement was evident in his voice and the Time Lord nodded. The TARDIS' doors popped open as Ianto neared her, and he laughed delightedly as entered the spacecraft.

Jack crossed his arms. "No."

"But he's clever!" the Doctor protested. "And he's got experience and you know he'd enjoy it -- "

"No." The Time Lord's face fell and Jack sighed. "I know you miss Martha. But she made her choice. Ianto, he's... he's mine, Doctor."

The Doctor's expression changed from one of disappointment to mischievous. "Well, well, the insatiable Jack Harkness finally domesticated. Never thought I'd see the day."

"I'm not letting him go, Doctor, not even with you," Jack said with finality.

"I think I can make that decision for myself, Captain," came the quite Welsh voice. Both men turned to Ianto, who stepped out the TARDIS and carefully closed the wooden door behind him, patting the wood carefully.

The Doctor grinned a little, feeling a wash of love coming form the TARDIS at the gesture. He'd be the perfect Companion. Ianto stepped between the two men, hands causally in his pockets. "Well Mr. Jones?" the Time Lord asked. "See the wonders of the universe firsthand?"

Jack opened his mouth to argue, but closed it after a moment. Ianto turned to look at him, cocking his head to the side. "No arguments?" his lover teased softly.

"Stay," he said softly. "Please."

Ianto looked at him for a long moment before turning back to the Doctor. "The next time you're in Cardiff, do stop by sir."

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, I will, Mr. Jones," he said, watching as Jack stepped forward and put a possessive arm around Ianto's waist. "I definitely will."


	22. Perfume

Title: Perfume  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Eight  
Date Written: 7/14/08  
Rating: PG-13/T  
Word Count: 411  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen, Tosh, Owen  
Spoilers: None, really  
Warnings: Crack, mentions of m/m sex.  
Author Notes: This can be blamed completely on totally4ryo. Today's prompt was a picture of a strawberry.

* * *

Owen wrinkled his nose as he turned to Gwen and Toshiko. "D'you two smell something... fruity?"

The girls both looked at each other in confusion before looking back at the medic. "Now that you mention it," Tosh started slowly, a hand going up to rub the back of her neck.

"Sorta..." Gwen took an experimental sniff. "... strawberry-ish."

The door to Jack's office opened and the Captain stepped out, a downright salacious grin on his face. "Hey, thanks for going out to get lunch for me and Ianto," he said, leaning against the door frame. "Decided my office needed a little rearranging this morning, and you know Ianto gets when I mention something."

The three nodded at him, eyes wide. Jack cocked his head to the side, fixing them each with a questioning look.

"Coming up, Jack?" Ianto called out from the second level, hands on the railing. "Your take-away is getting cold."

Jack pushed off and headed up to the conference room, the scent following him as he stepped past the others.

"They didn't," Gwen hissed to Tosh, who covered her mouth with her hand to stiffle her giggles.

"Oh, I'm going out for a supply run after our lunch," Ianto called out. "Jack always buys the wrong things."

"Hey! Be nice, I sign your paycheck!" Jack protested, climbing the stairs two at a time.

"Just make out a list of things we need," the Welshman called out, following the Captain into the conference room.

"They did!" Gwen exclaimed as soon as they heard the door slide shut behind Ianto.

"God, strawberry lube," Owen muttered, turning to his keyboard. "That's so gay. Even for them."

* * *

"I have a request for that list," Jack said, settling into his seat.

"Oh?" Ianto gave a little smile as he did the same. "And what would that be, sir?"

"We need more of that strawberry jam." He flashed his younger lover an apologetic smile.

"You should pay for it out of pocket," Ianto deadpanned, picking up his fork. "You're the one who knocked the jar over after breakfast."

"I fell!" Jack protested.

"Thankfully the glass didn't break," the Welshman continued, acting as if he hadn't heard the immortal, "but it made such a sticky mess to clean."

"Yeah, but it was fun when you licked it off me," Jack leered.

Ianto paused, fork halfway to his mouth. "Two jars of strawberry jam, on the list."

Tosh, Gwen and Owen heard Jack's laugh downstairs.


	23. I'll Have What He's Having

Title: I'll Have What He's Having  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Ten  
Date Written: 7/14/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 448  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Owen and Tosh (mentioned)  
Spoilers: Up through Season 02.  
Warnings: None Author Notes: I promised teachwriteslash some happy after my angst-fest last post, which is NC-17 and up on my LJ and on AFF.N

* * *

_**Summer Rain  
**Ingredients:  
2 Shots De Kuyper Cranberry Liqueur Top up Apple Juice_

_Method:  
Half fill a highball glass with cubed ice. Pour in the De Kuyper Cranberry Liqueur. Top up with apple juice. Add a squeeze of lime juice. Muddle the ingredients together in the glass. Garnish with a slice of lime_.

* * *

In one of Ianto's past lives he'd been a bartender. Cocktails, martinis, mixed drinks, he could pull them off without a hitch.

When they've all had a hard day, he'll make their favorites before sending them on their way; a dry martini (three olives) for Jack, a Cosmopolitan for Gwen.

Toshiko had liked sake, hot to the point of boiling so she could inhale the fumes before gulping the cups down in shots. Owen had been fond of a particular brand of whiskey that was extremely hard to come by. Ianto had bought it in bulk before he died the first time, and he normally had a glass of the liquor neat while Gwen and Jack fought over his olives.

Gwen can't hold her liquor to save her life, so when it's a very bad mission and she keeps asking for drink after drink, Ianto ends up calling Rhys to come take her home. She always greets him with sloppy drunk kisses and hugs -- she's a happy drunk -- and comes in the next day with circles under her eyes but no complaints about the hangover.

Ianto usually brings Jack a drink before he goes home, sometimes to drive the Captain a little around the bend. There were some great, salacious drink names out there and the way Jack would react to the names coming out of his mouth was priceless (he actually snorted his drink up his nose when Ianto served him a Screaming Orgasm).

Today he sets a highball glass on Jack's desk, a purple-red liquid swirling about the ice. "And what's this one today?" Jack asked, voice full of amusement.

"It's called Summer Rain," Ianto replied, straightening his tie.

"Appropriate for today," Jack teased. It had been bright and sunny all day, and Gwen had dragged both men out for lunch _'to make sure they remember what the sky looks like!'_

"We're due for a spot of bad weather tomorrow, I believe."

Jack gave him a grin, sitting back in his chair and taking an experimental sip of his drink. His eyes flicked up to Ianto and his smile broadened. "Sometimes I think you missed your calling, Ianto."

"Not at all, sir," Ianto deadpanned. "Someone has to bring some culture down here to you."

Jack grinned and set his glass aside, standing. They both knew what Ianto's _sirs _did to the Captain. "Oh? So I'm uncultured now?"

"Very, sir."

"You haven't complain about it before."

"It's only inappropriate in public, sir."

Jack grinned, grabbing at his tie. "Then I guess it's a good thing we're in private."

"Very good thing," Ianto said, his mouth quirking up into a grin as Jack's mouth brushed his.


	24. Oh The Places You'll Go

Title: Oh The Places You'll Go  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Eleven  
Date Written: 7/15/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 614  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, mentioned Doctor, Rose and Team Spoilers: Up through Torchwood Season 02 and Doctor Who 04.  
Warnings: None  
Author Notes: Bribe for more teachwriteslash fic, title from Dr. Seuss. And I don't say this often enough, but a huge thank you to my totally awesome beta totally4ryo -- love ya girlie! This challenge was a picture of a radio tower.

* * *

There are places in the universe that are so heartbreakingly, amazing beautiful that even someone who's lived as long as Jack has to stop and just... _stare_.

Jack's always had an affinity with beaches, they remind him of home. It's one of the things that kept him settled when he was in Cardiff waiting for the Doctor, the scent of salt air permeating the Hub. It made him feel safe, secure while his world was still all topsy-turvy.

He'd seen Women Wept with the Doctor and Rose all those years ago, the planet of icy waves. The planet's sun had disappeared straight out of the sky, or maybe it had been knocked out of orbit, the Doctor had never explicitly said, but somehow the planet's heat source had been lost, and without a strong atmosphere the planet had flash-frozen. He had walked among the hundred-foot storm waves by himself for hours, the fury of the ocean immortalized for anyone who could to see it.

Back when he'd been in the Time Agency, he'd skived off of work to go to the leisure planet Midnight, and had traveled out by shuttle to the Multifaceted Coast to see the Sapphire Waterfall. The Coast wasn't water per se but shifting blue gems that moved to and fro from the breeze -- Midnight had an atmosphere, but the xtonic radiation wasn't filtered out, so no one could step foot on the surface. He'd spent hours, literally, nose pressed against the thick glass, staring at the glittery sea, imagining the musical tinkling of the shifting sea.

Nash Point, Wales, UK wasn't known in his time for an amazing view. Why it had to take a UFO sighting to get him out here, he'd never figure it out.

The cliffs just -- just _stopped_, sheared off, straight down hundreds of feet. Jack got as close to the edge as he dared (meaning he was right on the precipice, the dizzying feel of vertigo thrumming through him) and looked down. The stone below was rough-cut, as if a giant had come along and cut out bricks from the very living earth, or maybe laid them down and covered it with a moss-green blanket.

The roar of the ocean filled his ears and he closed his eyes against the salty breeze. He could feel the salt to his skin and he licked his lips, tasting it.

"Jack."

Ianto's voice was quiet and surprising at his back, but Jack had long-controlled his impulse to jump. Instead he turned around and smiled at the young archivist.

"The UFO was just a plane," Ianto said, holding up his PDA, which displayed the flight log for the RAF. "They held a training exercise two nights ago, the locals weren't expecting a plane flying about at midnight."

Jack smiled. "Good. Do the others know?"

Ianto shook his head. "I was about to call them."

"Wait a bit." The Welshman tilted his head to the side and Jack held out a hand. "How about a walk along the beach first?"

Blue eyes flicked down to Jack's outstretched hand before flicking back up again. He gave Jack one of his rare, soft smiles as he took Jack's hand. "The others will wonder why we took so long."

The Captain lifted the hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to Ianto's knuckles. "I can't think of a better excuse to play hooky from work than you."

Ianto rolled his eyes but blushed prettily. Jack smiled and tugged gently, leading him on the path down towards the beach.


	25. Hidden Asset

Title: Hidden Asset  
lj community horizonssing Challenge: Day Twelve  
Date Written: 7/16/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 1,201  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Lisa, OC  
Spoilers: Up through Doctor Who 02, major for _Cyberwoman  
_Warnings: Pre-series AU in which there is no Lisa hiding in the basement.  
Author Notes: Bribe for cazmalfoy. I'm starting to see a disturbing trend. NOT. A. SERIES.

* * *

**_"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one.""_**

**_- C.S. Lewis_**

* * *

Two weeks. It had been two long, frustrating weeks since he'd hired Ianto Jones, the young Welshman from the fallen Torchwood London.

For all his earlier reluctance, Jack was immensely happy that he'd hired the man. He kept the Hub tidy, did the work of three people without breaking a sweat (despite sneaking out to his car five minutes early every day), and managed to keep all of then in line. He couldn't remember a time when the Archives hadn't been a mess before Ianto stepped in. And that coffee was to die for.

But there was still something that made Jack take pause. The man was obviously still grieving, he'd lost a girlfriend and most of the people he'd known in Canary Wharf. Maybe if Jack tried to do a little bit of bonding -- no sex now while the pain was fresh, but later if Ianto turned to him...

As if summoned by his thoughts, Ianto Jones appeared in his doorway, looking pale but wearing a schooled expression. "Captain, I'm sorry but I need to take a half-day," he said.

"Is everything all right?" Jack asked, his mind casting back to PTSD. It had barely been a month since Canary Wharf. Had Ianto exhibited any symptoms recently? "Should we let Owen give you a once-over?"

Ianto looked as if he was warring internally with himself for a few moments before he sighed. "You'll find out eventually," he muttered.

"Find out what?" Jack asked, crossing his arms.

Ianto tugged at his suit jacket. "Captain. My daughter is feeling poorly at the daycare center she is enrolled in and asking for her father."

"Well, of course you can take a personal day for th-- wait. Daughter?"

Bethany Jones was a gorgeous little girl. Jack had seen pictures of her mother and there was a strong maternal resemblance; the high cheekbones, the wide nose, full lips currently wrapped around her little thumb. She had her father's dark black hair, which was currently resting on his shoulder. Ianto smiled softly at her and pressed a kiss against her caramel-colored forehead.

Even at two years old, Jack knew she was going to be a heart breaker when she grew up.

"I'm sorry Mr. Jones," the daycare woman was saying in an Irish accent, "but ya know how it gets with the little ones. One of 'em gets sick and the next thing ya know they're all droppin'."

"It's all right, Ms. Maggie," he told her, kissing the little one's head again. "I'll see you in a few days."

Maggie reached out and rubbed the little girl's back. "Get better, love," she told Bethany before turning back into the house.

Ianto turned back and walked to the car, murmuring softly to her. He stopped when she caught sight of Jack, intelligent blue eyes regarding him carefully. "Beth, this is Captain Harkness."

Jack gave her a trademark smile and stooped a little to get on her level. "Hi there, pretty girl. I hear you aren't feeling well," he said softly.

She turned and buried her face into her father's shoulder. Ianto laughed a little. "She can get a little timid around new people."

"Not like her father then," Jack said with a wink. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a dummy. "Hey. Is this yours?"

Bethany turned to look at Jack, eyes widening when she saw the little rubber nipple. Jack had almost sat on it in when he'd gotten into Ianto's car. Her dark little head bobbed in agreement, thumb still firmly in her mouth.

"What do we say when we want something?" Ianto asked, mouth against her forehead again.

"P'ese," she murmured around her thumb.

Jack laughed and gave her the dummy, which was immediately popped into her mouth. "I can drive you home if you want to sit in the back with her," he offered.

For a moment Ianto looked as if he was going to argue, but he smiled. "That'd be lovely, Captain, thank you."

Ianto was telling Bethany a story. Jack could hear the muffled Welsh accent coming from her bedroom as he looked around the den. If Suzie and Tosh and Owen ever got a peek into Ianto's flat, they'd probably have him on the examination table checking to see if he was an alien.

The den was in a state of carefully-organized chaos that only life with a very young child could produce; toys were scattered in the far corners, with stragglers hiding in the sofa cushions, and sippy cups and bowls were strategically forgotten on the lower shelves of the bookcase. He gathered them all up and was in the process of loading them into the dishwasher when Ianto came out of her room.

"How is she?" Jack asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Slight fever. I gave her some aspirin and a cool bath, it's broken now," the Welshman replied, moving to sit on a stool in the corner of the kitchen. "She gets whiny when she isn't feeling well. And she still misses her Mum."

The Captain smiled softly and nodded, continuing to load the washer. After a few moment of silence he said, "I didn't realize -- "

"Most people don't," Ianto replied. "Lisa never wanted to get married, so on paper she looked like a single mother. Jones is common enough a last name that people don't really question." He smiled a little.

"She's beautiful."

"She's her mother."

Jack nodded again, sliding the racks into their place and kicking the door shut with his foot.

"Thank you, sir. I realize that if I had told you that I had a daughter at home, you probably wouldn't have hired me, even with the pteradactyl hunt."

He leaned back against the sink. "I had a child once," Jack confessed. "A son."

"What happened?" Ianto asked, looking up at him.

"There was a war." World War One. Sixteen years old, ran off and lied about his age to get in, to fight for the cause. Came back in a wooden box.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too," Jack replied, moving over to put a hand on Ianto's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you." His voice was soft and wavering, on the verge of breaking.

"But... Ianto. You know what could happen, probably better than anyone else," Jack said, squeezing the shoulder a little. "She's already lost one parent to Torchwood. Why did you want to rejoin so desperately?"

Ianto stared at his hands for a few moments. "I've... I've seen what's out there, Jack. What can happen and what we are completely unprepared for." He looked up at him. "I have to keep her safe from those things."

Jack gave him a long, understanding look before leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. "Take as much time as you need," he said, "and call me if you need _anything_."

"Jack." Ianto swallowed a little. "Could you..."

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile, hitting a number he knew by heart. "Su. I'm taking the rest of the day, call me if something big comes up."

Ianto's grateful smile was worth the twenty kinds of hell he caught later from his second.


	26. Two Sweethearts and the Summer Wind

Title: Two Sweethearts and the Summer Wind  
LJ community horizonssing Challenge: Day Thirteen  
Date Written: 7/19/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 899  
Fandom: Torchwood  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Boys kissing, blah blah blah...  
Author Notes: For katestamps, who is an angel. This challenge is the song "Summer Wind" by Frank Sinatra  


* * *

"Do you trust me?"

Ianto smiled a little at the soft question in his ear. Did he trust Jack Harkness?

_Implicitly. Beyond every rational thought. My life, my dignity, my soul is yours, Jack._

Instead, he let out a soft sigh. "If I end up naked in the middle of the Plass..." he said, his voice the perfect warning tone.

Jack laughed low in his ear. "Oh, if I have you naked tonight, it'll be where no one else can see you," he murmured into the Welshman's ear as he tied a blindfold around his eyes. Ianto felt a shiver run down his spine.

Warm hands found his and Jack led him out to the garage. The immortal pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth when he reached in to buckle the younger man, laughing when Ianto turned his head for a proper kiss. "Nu-uh, not yet," he teased, kissing his nose.

Ianto knew his way around Cardiff well enough to know where Jack was going, even if the Captain had tried to throw him off by driving in circles for about twenty minutes. They chatted idly as Jack drove, his hand straying over to find Ianto's as they talked, fingers interlocking.

He lurched forward a little when Jack braked -- Jack _always_ braked hard -- but smiled and reached for the buckle. "Nope," Jack teased, reaching down to stop his hand. "Let me."

Jack's breath was warm on his neck, and Ianto had to fight back a moan when soft lips touched the shell of his ear. "I bet you know where we are, don't you?" Jack's voice was soft in his ear.

"Roughly," Ianto replied, a satisfied grin crossing his face.

"Mmm, that's my Ianto, always two steps ahead of me." Jack kissed his ear again, a flash of tongue swiping over his skin. "Don't move," he said, his presence disappearing from his side of the car. A few seconds later Ianto's door opened and he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Come along, Mr. Jones," he teased, helping him out of the car.

Ianto had been blindfolded long enough that his other senses were starting to compensate for the loss. He could feel Jack's touch on the small of his back through his suit jacket, warm and comforting.

He could also _feel_ the other patrons of Cardiff's newest, chicest five-star hotel staring at him as he let his lover lead him blindfolded through the lobby towards the elevators.

Once they were inside the elevators, Jack pressed up against his front, hands resting on Ianto's waist. "Well?"

"I think I'd like it a lot more if I could see," Ianto teased gently, reaching up to twine his fingers in the stretchy material of Jack's braces.

Jack laughed. "Oh, I bet you would," he murmured, pressing him harder against the wall of the elevator. "For instance, this whole elevator's covered in mirrors."

"Taking your narcissistic streak to a new level?"

"It's not a crime to want to watch yourself make love to someone. Well, not on Earth, anyway."

Ianto grinned and leaned in, landing a kiss on Jack's chin. "Well, take the blindfold off and show me how right it is, Jack."

"Mmm, and therein lies the dilemma." Jack's mouth pressed against his nose again. "I could do that, and while that would be fun, it would interrupt my plans for tonight."

"And what plans would those be?"

"You tell me, Mr. Knows Everything."

Jack's mouth moved to the side of his neck and Ianto sighed softly in pleasure, eyes closing behind the blindfold. "Well, we're in a hotel, so you shagging my brains out is probably on the menu tonight."

"It's on the list, yeah," Jack laughed against his skin. "But I promise there's more."

"Always a man of mystery."

The lift slowed to a stop, both of them swaying against each other as the kinetic energy carried on through them. The doors slid open and Jack took his hands. "Almost," he said, and Ianto could hear the grin on his voice.

Jack led him through a room -- no hallway first, Jack must have sprung for a penthouse suite -- and stopped when they were in a doorway. Ianto could feel a warm breeze against his face, and Frank Sinatra floated gently around him.

"Okay."

Ianto reached up to take the blindfold off. He blinked a little as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.

Jack was standing on a balcony, hands in his pockets as he grinned at him. The city of Cardiff was at their feet, lit up at night like so many Christmas lights, red tail lights chasing each other around the streets. The Captain moved to the covered table in the middle of the balcony, set for two with candles flickering softly in the breeze.

Jack picked up two glasses full of soft amber-colored bubbly champagne and held one out to Ianto. "Happy anniversary."

Ianto smiled softly, taking the glass. "You remembered."

"I remember the important dates, Mr Jones," he teased, clinking their glasses together and winking at the young Welshman.

"And I'm important?"

"Extremely." Jack leaned in and pressed a wine-flavored kiss to Ianto's mouth. "You make me try."

"_You_ like the chase."

"You're worth marathons."

Ianto raised a skeptical eyebrow and Jack laughed and kissed him again. "Come dance with me."

_Always._

Aloud, he said, "Catch me, first."


	27. Taking the Plunge

Title: Taking the Plunge  
LJ community horizonssing Challenge: Day Fourteen  
Date Written: 7/20/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 1,751  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Boys kissing, blah blah blah...

_**"O summer day beside the joyous sea!  
O summer day so wonderful and white,  
So full of gladness and so full of pain!  
Forever and forever shalt thou be  
To some the gravestone of a dead delight,  
To some the landmark of a new domain."**_

_**- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow**_

* * *

  


The great thing about Torchwood fieldwork was that you got to see some of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Today they were at the edge of the world, up high on a cliff. The sky above them was a gorgeous, cloudless robin egg's blue, the sea a dark sapphire below, salty sea air whipping around them, tugging at their clothing. Nice day for a picnic too, not too hot or too cold.

The bad thing about Torchwood fieldwork was that... well, it was Torchwood fieldwork.

"Just let her go!" Jack yelled, training his gun on the alien currently holding Gwen hostage. Just another day at the office.

The alien took a threatening step backwards. "I'll survive the fall -- she won't."

Jack wavered. "Please."

The alien turned his full attention onto Jack, not noticing when Ianto stepped off to the side a little. "Aw, poor human. What is she to you? She can't be your mate, she's got another's scent on her."

Ianto had a clear shot. He caught Gwen's eyes and raised his eyebrows in question. She nodded a little, gasping when the alien grabbed her tighter.

"That one, the male," the alien said, nodding to Ianto but not taking his glare off of Jack. "He's covered in you." The being grinned, nuzzling Gwen's hair and making her flinch in disgust. "Maybe I grabbed the wrong human, hmn?"

Jack clenched his jaw against the insult bubbling up. Not a good way to get what you want. "Look, just let her go and we'll figure something out."

Ianto had caught Gwen's gaze again, and mouthed, very faintly, _on three_. He stepped a little closer, fingers twitching on the grip of his gun. To anyone else, it would have looked like he was adjusting his grip. Gwen nodded once, faintly, and watched as Ianto did it again.

One.

"Nah, I think I'll keep her," the alien said. "She's a wonderful bargaining chip."

Another flinch from Ianto. Two.

"And pretty -- for a human." It stepped back again, practically on the edge of the cliff. "How much d'you think she'd sell for?"

Jack had to physically stop himself from throwing the gun away and beating the being standing before them. If he did that, they'd be over the side and Gwen would be dead before he could get to where they were standing.

Ianto tapped his hilt again. Three.

It happened so quickly, the alien didn't know what hit it. One moment Gwen was passive in his arms, the next minute she was scratching and biting at his arm like a wild woman. The sudden flare of pain made the alien's grip slacken, and she slipped from his grasp, already stumbling towards Jack.

Giving Ianto his clean shot. He pulled the trigger twice, watching in almost slow motion as the two slugs slammed into the alien's skull. It fell to the ground, twitching as nerve endings continued to fire to muscles that weren't accepting orders anymore.

Gwen fell into Jack's arms, sobbing, and the Captain swept her up and held her tight. Ianto took a deep breath to steady himself, holstering his weapon. Their first mission as a threesome -- since Tosh and Owen, the pain of their loss still so fresh -- and they'd almost lost Gwen. It had been terrifying. Ianto looked down at his hands to realize he was shaking like a leaf, the sudden adrenaline spike still surging through his body.

He took another breath, then another, willing himself to calm down. Gwen tore herself away from Jack to throw her arms around Ianto, crying into his shoulder and thanking him in Welsh. Ianto hugged her back just as tightly for a few moments, the warm, breathing, sobbing woman in his arms confirming that it was over, she was fine. Shaken, but fine.

They released each other and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, thank you, _diolch, diolch_..."

Ianto moved her to a little bench to sit down on while Jack moved towards the still-twitching body of the alien. Once Gwen was reasonably settled, the younger man went to stand by Jack. "What was it?"

Jack took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something when the alien's body convulsed again. The arm hit Ianto's knee with surprising force, making his leg buckle out from under him.

He knew the moment he felt the vertigo hit him that he was going over the edge. He felt Jack grab at him and he tried to bat his hand away, to save the Captain from going over too, but Jack's grip found his coat sleeve and held fast.

The both fell, wind whipping past them as Gwen's anguished scream faded behind them. The cliffs were high, and Ianto quickly gathered that he had about fifteen seconds left in this world.

Jack gathered him close, tucking Ianto's head up under his own. "Take a deep breath, Ianto," he instructed low in his ear.

Twelve, eleven, ten...

"Jack, I -- I love you," Ianto gasped, grabbing onto Jack's greatcoat. Completely the wrong time to announce it, but he had to tell him, had to let Jack know.

Six, five, four...

In response, Jack squeezed him closer, kissing his forehead.

Two... one...

The water was so cold it took Ianto's breath away the moment they hit, bubbles escaping and salt water entering his mouth, forcing its way down his throat as he gasped in vain for air. The current was pulling them this way and that, and for a dizzying moment, Ianto didn't know which way was up.

His last thought as he began to fade out was _God, Jack always said that drowning was always the worst way to go..._

-----

When Ianto came to, he was aware of a few things:

One, he was warm. Really warm. Bordering on hot.

Two, he was lying down on something sort of soft. He gave an experimental push with his heel and felt some give. A mattress?

Third, more important as a migraine kicked in at full gear, there was a beeping to his left.

"Owen, shut that noise off," he groaned, lolling his head to the side and carefully cracking open his eyes in the dim light. He blinked, eyes blearily focusing on the figure sitting next to his bed. "... Rhys?"

"Hey!" The older Welshman grinned at the younger, scooting his chair closer. "Good to see you awake."

"What -- where?"

"You're at A&E," he said, lowering his voice when he noticed Ianto's wince. "You had a nasty fall, so I hear."

"Gwen? Jack?"

"Both fine," Rhys reassured him. "Gwen dragged Captain Innuendo down for some food about five minutes ago."

Ianto grinned a little at the 'pet name' Gwen's husband had given Jack a few months back, closing his eyes again. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days. You were going into shock when the paramedics managed to get down to you and Jack." Gwen had called him in hysterics and he'd dropped everything to get to her, holding her in the waiting room while they waited for the doctors to stabilize Ianto.

Jack had just... sat there. Dripping wet, a thick blanket pulled around him, a cup of hot coffee untouched in his hands as he stared into nothingness.

It had been terrifying.

"I could _murder_ a cup of coffee," Ianto groaned, reaching up to rub his forehead.

Rhys grinned. "Well, one cup of piss-poor hospital coffee, coming right up." He clasped Ianto on his shoulder, and Ianto moved a hand to put over Rhys'.

"Thank you for taking care of them."

"Oi, what sort of husband would I be if I didn't? Besides, I'd have you to answer to if I let anything happen to them."

Ianto gave him a tired smile and closed his eyes as Rhys quietly left the room. He drifted in and out a little. Who knew you could be so tired after being in a coma?

The door slammed open, making the archivist jerk awake before groaning -- again -- and putting a hand to his head. He cautiously opened his eyes to see Jack at the foot of his bed, panting hard and red in the face. "Can you be quiet dramatic for once?" Ianto asked, going for a frown but utterly failing.

"Oh -- Oh God, Ianto," Jack swore, almost tripping over the chair Rhys had been sitting in as rushed over to Ianto's side. He leaned in and pulled the younger man into his arms, cradling his head and kissing him gently but firmly. "I thought I'd lost you," he murmured against his mouth.

"Mm, gonna take more than a little drop like that to take me out," Ianto quipped, giving a little grin.

Jack laughed a little, sitting back and touching his face gently. "You're okay?"

"Sore," Ianto replied, squirming a little to stretch his muscles. "Tired. When can I go home? I'm sure you're going crazy without coffee."

The immortal grinned. "Now I know you're all right." He brushed back Ianto's hair and opened his mouth to say something when Gwen burst into the room, albeit at a lower decibel level than Jack had, Rhys and the piss-poor hospital coffee behind her.

-----

The doctors released Ianto -- against advisement -- that afternoon, and Jack took him home, fed him and put him down to for bed. Ianto smiled a little as Jack settled in next to him. He rolled over a little, unashamedly snuggling into his lover's arms.

"Did you mean it?" The question rumbled low in Jack's chest as he pressed a kiss against Ianto's forehead.

Ianto nuzzled into Jack a little, gathering his thoughts. "Yes." He ran a hand over Jack's far shoulder, rubbing the smooth skin with his thumb. "I thought -- I just had to -- "

Jack tipped his chin up, pressing a kiss to his mouth. "I was so scared," he said softly, voice trembling.

"Me too," Ianto confessed.

"I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to tell you -- "

"I know, Jack," he cut the older man off. "It's okay."

"No, let me say it," Jack said roughly. He swallowed once, twice, took a deep breath. "I love you too. And I was terrified that I'd never get the chance to tell you." He took a deep breath. "I should have told you sooner."

"So should I," Ianto replied softly, and Jack leaned in to kiss him quiet.

Trial by water.

Only Torchwood.


	28. Back to the Beacons

Title: Back in the Beacons  
LJ community horrizonssing Challenge: Day Fifteen  
Date Written: 7/21/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 767  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Gwen  
Spoilers: Up through Season 1, major for _Countrycide_  
Warnings: Mentions m/m sex  
Author Notes: Set during season 2. This one was a picture of a road through the Brecon Beacons.

* * *

"Let me get this straight."

Jack winced at the tone in Ianto's voice. Oh, he was in trouble.

"The one thing I asked you to do yesterday -- _the one thing_, Jack -- was to put petrol in the SUV."

He squirmed in his seat. Ianto would make a great father, he reflected; the young man had the perfect scolding father tone.

"So _how_, pray tell, are we _out of fucking fuel?_"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Jack exploded, banging his hands on the steering wheel. "I forgot when we captured the _man-eating alien_ and had to bring it back to the Hub!"

Ianto sighed in frustration. "Well, now we won't be able to investigate the case we got called for."

Jack sighed. "We'll call the Hub, have the others bring out some petrol."

"_You_ will call the others," Ianto said, unbuckling and wrenching the car door open. Jack flinched when he slammed the door, rocking the SUV with the force of his motion.

"Damn it."

* * *

Ianto frowned as he checked his mobile for the fifth time within a minute. Still no signal. He crossed his arms across his chest and blinked into the sunlight, looking around.

They were somewhere on the road between Tredegar and Crickhowell, the SUV pulled over to the side to allow for any through-traffic.

Stranded out in the Brecon Beacons. Again. This was a never-ending nightmare.

He heard the car door of the SUV slam and he spun, watching Jack come around the front end of the SUV. "The others'll be here in an hour or so."

Ianto tried -- and failed -- to make a non-committal noise and turned away. He jumped again when Jack's arms wrapped around his waist.

"Whoa, jumpy much?"

Ianto tried to fight down the urge to turn and smack his lover senseless. "Do you even _know where we are_?"

"Yes," Jack said, kissing his ear. "We're on the way to Crickhowell, out in the -- " He paused a little. "Oh damn, I'm sorry. I didn't think." He ran his hands up to rub his back and shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Ianto lied. "No. I don't know."

"There's no one out here," Jack said softly into his ear, hugging him close again. "Just you and me."

"It was just us last time too," Ianto said, reaching up to take Jack's hands into his.

"Come here," Jack urged softly. "You need a distraction."

"I hate the fucking countryside," Owen swore as he shifted in his seat.

"Oh hush," Gwen scolded, unconsciously moving her elbow to make sure the car door was locked.

"The SUV should be coming into sight," Toshiko piped up from the backseat, nudging the petrol can with her foot as she crossed and uncrossed her legs again.

They spotted the SUV as they rounded the next bend and pulled up next to it. Both front doors were thrown wide open, but Ianto and Jack were nowhere in sight.

A thrill of panic ran through the three of them when their missing teammates didn't reveal themselves after a few seconds. "Jack?" Gwen called out, shutting the driver's side drawer. "Ianto, you here?"

There was a shuffling noise, and Jack's head popped over the roof of the SUV. "Hey!"

"Oh God, they don't even have the dignity to be inside the car," Owen swore, throwing his hands up.

"We're not doing that," Ianto said, grinning a little when Jack turned to him and mouthed _anymore_.

"What are you two doing up there?" Tosh asked, shading her eyes as she peered up at them.

"Cloud watching," Jack replied, shifting off of Ianto and jumping down into the grass. Ianto, in turn, slid down the side of the car, using the open car door and passenger's seat as stair steps down. He'd left his suit jacket inside the SUV and reached in, shaking the wrinkles out of it before pulling it on.

"Cloud watching," Gwen repeated, hands on her hips as Owen opened the petrol tank and started fueling the automobile up, the unmistakable scent of gas fumes filling the air.

"That one looks like a Weevil!" Jack piped up, pointing up at a mass of water vapor floating above their heads.

"Yes Jack," Ianto sighed, looking over at him. "It looks like a Weevil if you close your eyes and imagine a Weevil."

Jack pouted. "Ianto, you're just being mean now."

"God, I'd have preferred if they were shagging," Owen muttered as he went to the car for the second container.

Tosh and Gwen nodded a little in agreement. All that speeding for nothing.

Robbed.


	29. It's So SciFi!

Title: It's So Sci-Fi!  
LJ community horizonssing Challenge: Day Sixteen  
Date Written: 7/25/08  
Rating: PG/K+  
Word Count: 694  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen, Martha, Mickey, Tosh (mentioned)  
Spoilers: Series 04 of Who and Series 02 of Torchwood  
Warnings: None  
Author Notes: Set post _Journey's End_. Fic written from Comic Con!

_**"Between an immensity of land and an immensity of sky they sat there, incomprehensible, smiling at a continent."**_

_**- Douglas Adams,  
Last Chance to See**_

* * *

  


"Wow! I haven't seen one of these in ages!"

Ianto looked over at Jack, who was standing in the doorway of one of the many rooms off the main hallway. He, Jack and Mickey were studying an alien craft that had crash-landed while Gwen and Martha patiently explained to UNIT that this was Torchwood jurisdiction, thank you, and they'd be sending along a report in a few days.

Mickey rolled his eyes. "There he goes again," he grumbled, turning back the control room. Ianto stood behind him and watched the new technician work and missed Tosh. She'd have adored this.

"Ianto!"

"And again," Mickey teased, looking up at him. "Don't have sex on any control panel that has buttons on it."

Ianto muttered something disparaging in Welsh under his breath and crossed the hallway. "Yes?"

"C'mere, you have to see this," the Captain beckoned him with a finger.

"What is it?" the archivist asked crossing the empty room to where Jack was. Suspended in midair was a crystal of some kind on a long thread, or more like a dewdrop caught on the thin thread of web.

"Most races call them holo-rooms, or some sort of variation thereof," he replied, reaching out to touch the top thread.

Ianto looked around as the room came to life. The walls were a slate gray, and the soft recessed lighting flickered above them. The room seemed to hum. "Seems rather science fiction to me."

"Where do you think they got the idea?" Jack laughed. "Writers come up with the brilliant ideas and then scientists figure out how to make it work. Anti-grav, holo-rooms, flying cars, encapsulated food... it all becomes a reality." He looked over at Ianto and grinned. "Well? Want to give it a shot?"

"How does it work?" the Welshman asked.

Jack smiled and raised his hands to hover just about the crystalline drop, watching it start to glow soft white from within. "You touch it and think about somewhere you want to be. This sort of reads your mind and shows you what you want to see." He turned to look at Ianto. "They're also called _pleasure rooms_. The crew comes in here and... well," his smile turned into a leer. "Some things remain constant through races."

Ianto laughed a little. "And what do you want to see?"

A thoughtful look crossed Jack's face and he fixed the young Welshman with a long, speculative look before reaching out to touch the tips of his fingertips against the crystal. The door slid shut with a pneumatic hiss behind Ianto, and he fought against the instinct to jump.

Around him the gray began to swirl and spin, colors starting to appear in the palette. Whites, beiges, blues and greens spun about, beautifully dizzying. Finally the whirl slowed and landmarks showed up -- sand beneath his feet, scrubby green and brown underbrush behind and a beautiful sunset before his eyes. The sun was sinking into a aquamarine ocean, orange and yellow and red streaks trailing behind. Twin moons hung in the sky and Ianto realized with a jolt in his stomach that Jack was showing him an alien planet.

"Where are we?" Ianto asked, walking down to the edge of the water. It lapped against the toes of his shoes, and he could feel the water seep through the seams, feel the sand shifting underneath the soles of his feet.

"This is where I grew up," Jack said simply, moving to stand next to him.

Ianto looked over at him in surprise and Jack smiled back, reaching down to take his hand.

"Thank you."

Jack squeezed Ianto's fingers, lifting them to kiss the back of his knuckles. "You've shown me where you grew up, it's only fair I return the favor."

They stood there for what felt like moments, watching the sunset until there was a pounding on the door. The image vanished like so much gossamer thread, leaving them standing in a gray-lined room holding hands.

The door slid open and Mickey popped his head on. "Oh hey, they're still clothed!" He pulled back and looked to the side. "Girls, you owe me twenty quid each!"


	30. Mall Rats

Title: Mall Rats  
LJ community horizonssing Challenge: Day Seventeen  
Count the Ways prompt: Pretty Men  
Date Written: 7/25/08  
Rating: G/K  
Word Count: 316  
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, OFC  
Spoilers: Minor for Series 02, specifically _Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang_  
Warnings: None  
Author Notes: Another one from Comic Con! Short and sweet. Prompt was a picture of a food court in a mall.  


* * *

It took Erin about fifteen minutes to work up her nerve. It didn't help matters that her mates were egging her on, that just made her dig her heels in even more.

When she got up her courage, she stood and had to take a deep breath. Straightening her skirt she walked right over to the man sitting in -- no, lounging, draped over the chair in the food court table, a blue wool coat draped over the chair next to him, feet underneath the table as he slouched down so low that he could tip his head back over the edge of the chair.

Erin stepped up and he opened beautiful blue eyes. "Can I help you?" he asked. Oh, sexy American accent too.

She leaned in and planted one hell of a snog on him, inwardly crowing when the man responded with equal vigor. Her mates were whooping and hollering at their table across the way, cheering her on.

After a long, long minute she pulled back and grinned at him. "So how about your mobile number?" she asked.

Someone behind her cleared his throat and Erin turned. Another man stood behind her, dressed in a business suit and tie, a paper plates with a slice of pizza in each hand. One dark eyebrow was raised in question. "Having fun, Jack?" he drawled in a Welsh accent.

"She started it!" the American -- Jack -- defended, pointing up at her.

The Welshman stepped around them, setting the plates down on the table. He fixed Erin with an unreadable look before reaching down and running a possessive hand through Jack's hair.

Jack let out a dazzling grin when the other pulled him up by the back of his head and kissed him hard and passionately. Erin could _feel_ the desire, the heat, coming from the two of them.

Oh.

Damn.

Pretty to look at though.


End file.
